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Project Experience

Healthcare

Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

About These Projects

AT HOSPITALS AND HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, good acoustics can improve speech communication among staff and patients, and help medical personnel focus on attention-demanding tasks.

Speech intelligibility and privacy between spaces are essential considerations for hospitals and care facilities—especially in rooms used for treating and assessing patients.

BKL has consulted on many healthcare projects through the years, and has the know-how to provide acoustical advice and reviews that add to the success of your next healthcare project.

Here are a few of the projects BKL has been a part of:

Common Acoustical Challenges:

  • Noise affecting patient comfort and healing
  • Speech privacy
  • Communication between staff and patients
  • MRI and imaging vibration
  • Emergency generator noise
  • Construction in occupied facilities

Alberta Hospital Ponoka

Ponoka, Alberta

BKL made recommendations on the design of acoustical treatment for activity spaces including auditorium, swimming pool, and gymnasium.

Alberta Urban Hospitals

Edmonton & Calgary, Alberta

BKL consulted on acoustics for hospital projects at Mill Woods in Edmonton and Sunridge in Calgary, both 500-bed acute-care facilities.

Children’s Hospital

Vancouver, BC

BKL delivered comprehensive acoustical services and consulted on community and construction noise for this 400-bed pediatric and maternity hospital, as well as continuing renovation and reconstruction projects, including the Centre for Children and Families.

Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre Xaayda Gwaay Ngaaysdll Naay

Village of Queen Charlotte, BC

This new 53,820 square foot hospital was designed to meet LEED Gold standard and follow BC’s Wood First Act by incorporating wood wherever feasible. BKL provided acoustical advice during the design stages. Read the case study here.

Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre

Surrey, BC

For this newly constructed, LEED Gold–certified outpatient facility, BKL provided full acoustical design services including mechanical noise and vibration control, efforts that secured one LEED point for Innovative Acoustic Design. Read the case study here.

Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre

Vancouver, BC

BKL carried out full acoustical design services, including vibration monitoring during construction, for this new 8-storey mental health and addictions facility. BKL provided full documentation to obtain a point for the acoustical design under LEEDv4.

Laurel Tower, Vancouver General Hospital

Vancouver, BC

For this 19-storey inpatient tower (now known as the Jim Pattison Pavilion Tower), BKL consulted on architectural acoustics and mechanical noise control, and assessed noise control options for the loading bays and helicopter landing pad.

Lethbridge Regional Hospital

Lethbridge, Alberta

BKL provided comprehensive consultation for the nursing wing and diagnostic and treatment wing for this 500-bed regional facility.

Nanaimo Regional Hospital

Nanaimo, BC

BKL provided comprehensive acoustical consultation on mechanical, electrical, and architectural systems for a new perinatal extension to Nanaimo Regional Hospital’s maternity facilities.

Pacific Autism Family Centre

Richmond, BC

Located adjacent to the Vancouver International Airport, this new facility includes a treatment centre, and clinic, and research centre. BKL handled the acoustical design for this project, including the careful design of the building envelope to control noise break-in from overhead aircraft. Read the case study here.

Prince George Regional Hospital Expansion

Prince George, BC

BKL provided acoustical design for the building and its mechanical systems

Psychealth Centre

Winnipeg, Manitoba

BKL conducted a review of room acoustics, noise isolation, and noise privacy throughout the project.

Royal Columbian Hospital Phase III

New Westminster, BC

BKL provided comprehensive acoustical consultation on mechanical, electrical, and architectural systems.

Royal Inland Hospital Clinical Services Building

Kamloops, BC

Home to outpatient services and clinical education spaces for UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, this new 55,972 square foot building targeted LEED Gold. BKL provided comprehensive acoustical design services to meet project criteria, as well as the requirements set out in UBC’s design guidelines.

Royal Jubilee Hospital Expansion

Victoria, BC

BKL consulted on acoustics and mechanical system noise reduction for this major diagnostic and treatment centre, which includes laboratories, radiography, operating rooms, and clinics.

Southern Interior Cancer Centre

Kelowna, BC

Working with the project’s architects and building services designers, BKL provided comprehensive acoustical consultation.

St. Paul’s Hospital Expansion

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

BKL prepared acoustical guidelines for the project, and reviewed HVAC system noise.

Stanton Territorial Hospital

Yellowknife, NWT

BKL provided acoustical design advice for this new 293,532 square foot hospital, as well as noise and vibration monitoring during demolition and construction. Stanton Territorial Hospital serves residents of both the Northwest Territories and the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.

Surrey Memorial Hospital Expansion

Surrey, BC

BKL made recommendations for controlling interior noise and vibration from electrical equipment and roof-top ventilation systems.

Teck Acute Care Centre at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital

Vancouver, BC

BKL monitored noise and vibration during demolition of existing buildings and construction of this new 640,000 square-foot hospital. BKL provided full acoustical design services and post-project testing, and the acoustical design earned a credit toward the building’s LEED Gold certification. Read the case study here.

University of Alberta, Walter C. MacKenzie Health Science Centre

Edmonton, Alberta

BKL provided comprehensive consulting and engineering services including construction noise control and full architectural building services for noise and vibration control.

UBC Psychiatric Hospital

Vancouver, BC

BKL consulted on architectural acoustical design and mechanical systems noise control for all facilities of this two-phase project.

University Hospital Expansion

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

BKL consulted on all aspects of acoustical design for the expansion project, including mechanical system noise control.

Valleyview Project

Coquitlam, BC

BKL developed unique acoustical solutions to ensure this new mental health facility achieved the required speech intelligibility and privacy levels for spaces used to treat and assess adolescent mental health patients, while following strict materials limitations required to address patient safety concerns.

Whitehorse General Hospital

Whitehorse, YT

BKL offered full acoustical consultation services for this 44,000 square foot expansion project. BKL advised on sound isolation and mechanical system noise control, and made recommendations to ensure acoustical privacy and enhance confidentiality.

Whistle Bend Continuing Care Facility

Whitehorse, YT

This new residential care facility provides beds for residents requiring various levels of care. BKL provided full acoustical services during design and construction for the residences and associated spaces and conducted pre-completion acoustical testing.

Words From Our Clients

“The Pacific Autism Family Centre was a complex project with external and internal acoustics concerns being among the most critical design problems. BKL worked closely with us to identify both the acoustic issues and the most cost-effective solutions to address them. Their attention to detail, technical knowledge, and sensitivity to the budget constraints enabled us to successfully meet the project targets.”

Larry Adams

Architect at NSDA Architects

Featured Case Study

Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement
Healthcare

Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement

The Stuart Lake Hospital Replacement Project is a new healthcare facility in Fort St. James, British Columbia, developed to replace the existing hospital that had served the community for more than 50 years. The new facility brings together multiple healthcare services under one roof, including acute care, long-term care, and an integrated primary care centre, improving access to essential medical services for local residents. The facility provides 27 patient beds, including 18 long-term care beds and 9 acute care beds, along with an expanded emergency department, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, and palliative care spaces. The project also incorporates healing gardens and spiritual space developed in consultation with the local community and Indigenous Elders, contributing to a supportive care environment that reflects the cultural context of the region and creates a more welcoming setting for patients and families. Construction of the new hospital took place while the existing hospital remained fully operational. This created an important need to carefully manage and monitor construction-related noise and vibration to avoid disruption to patients, healthcare staff, and nearby properties. The new hospital officially began receiving patients in January 2025 and represents an important step in strengthening healthcare infrastructure for communities across northern British Columbia. BKL was engaged to provide specialized consulting services for construction noise and vibration monitoring and management, helping ensure that construction activities were carried out safely and in accordance with project requirements. BKL's scope of services included the following key components: BKL's involvement provided the project team with reliable data and technical guidance to manage construction-related noise and vibration, while supporting continued healthcare operations at the existing facility. By providing construction noise and vibration monitoring services throughout the project, BKL supported the effective management of construction-related impacts and contributed to the successful delivery of a new healthcare facility serving the Fort St. James community and surrounding region. Have a project in mind? Get in touch today.

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