The BC Cancer Centre is a 54,300 sq ft P3 regional cancer treatment facility located in Prince George. The centre offers radiation therapy, systemic therapy, and a full range of supportive services for patients and families dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatments.
Houle’s scope of work consisted of:
- Lighting Design and Control: Houle provided efficient lighting solutions. Many rooms include dimming ballasts and daylight sensors to automatically adjust light output based on ambient lighting levels. Occupancy sensors were installed in offices, washrooms, common areas, and other spaces. Timers and photocells were installed to control the exterior lighting; it is automatically timed to turn on only during occupied hours. The lighting control is interfaced with the DDC control system to monitor and control the lighting.
- Post Disaster Design: The building is designed to operate as an emergency operations centre. This required special considerations in the power system installation and design. The main power service includes dual redundancy with the ability to run the entire building from either one of two feeds on the double-ended unit substation. Design also includes an emergency generator and two main UPS units. They are fully integrated to share the entire communications system load between them or to automatically switch in the event of a failure in either unit.
- Energy Monitoring: The design required energy monitoring and power quality monitoring of electrical systems. Integration and monitoring by the DDC system computer allows operators to log-in remotely and view any of the metering points in real-time or to view trend logs that track usage and power quality throughout the various electrical systems.
- Integration: Houle installed fire alarm, nurse call, paging, security, door access, CCTV, and communications systems in the facility. With medical, fire, and security emergency response teams located in the adjacent University Hospital, Houle took special consideration to integrate the new and existing systems in the hospital.
- Security and Communications: The CCTV system consists of 79 IP cameras, which includes outdoor PTZ cameras and indoor and outdoor fixed domes. The video storage system consists of two virtual servers with a digital video management system. There are approximately 50 controlled doors that provide controlled access throughout the building, including access to and from the underground parkade and the bike lockup. The 22 panic stations located throughout the parkades have CCTV cameras to record any incidents.
- Networks and Infrastructure: The networks system consists of approximately 250,000 feet of category 6 amp cables. To tie-in the existing hospital to the new facility, Houle ran 96 strands of fibre at approximately 1,000 feet through an operational hospital under strict infection control standards.
Challenges
The security guards’ office is located inside the existing hospital which has low bandwidth (high bandwidth is required to view the cameras). Houle mitigated the situation by providing a fibre optic link to the guards’ office.
With 22 panic stations located throughout the underground and above ground parkade, the system had to provide a local alarm annunciation as well as way of alerting security guards who could be located anywhere in the new or existing facility. Houle installed a radio interface that announces the location of the alarm over the security guards’ radios as soon as the alarm is activated.
Successes
Before construction on the Cancer Centre could begin, a new above ground parking structure was required. Construction of the parking structure was completed in six months. Substantial completion of the entire hospital was seven months ahead of schedule.
