Blasting on the rise near Stanton hospital
Construction crew working with administration to patients' safety
Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Saturday, December 12, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Trees have been cleared and rocks are now being blasted to provide the footprint for the new hospital.
Workers in the midst of building the new hospital behind the current Stanton Territorial Hospital and adjacent to Frame Lake. Blasting began Nov. 30 after much of the footprint was cleared of trees and other obstacles to the new building. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo
|
The GNWT announced that effective Nov. 30, 20 blasts will take place per day for most days for the 14 weeks to follow. According to a Nov. 27 news release, blasts will take place every day of the week except Wednesday and Sunday.
"Right now, it is taking a little while to get going with blasting and getting everybody comfortable with us blasting adjacent to the hospital," said Stewart Borrett, project director with Bird Construction. "It is a touchy issue for everybody because there is a health-care facility nearby and it has to be done right. We can't go willy nilly blasting. There is a lot of planning to make sure we are on the same page with all of the departments in the hospital and making sure everyone is comfortable."
His company is working jointly with Clark Builders on the new hospital set to open in 38 months which will see a floor space of 280,000 square feet.
Borrett said his firm has hired Breakaway Blasting to do the work of providing a blasting plan that has been reviewed by the hospital.
Sue Cullen, interim CEO for the Stanton Territorial Health Authority, said extensive preparations have been made to ensure noise doesn't disturb hospital users.
"To date the blasting has no (effect) on patient care," she said.
Wednesdays are the only day throughout the week that blasting does not occur because it tends to be the busiest day in the week for patient care, Cullen said.
"There would be a pause on the blasting in the event we have to use sensitive equipment or do surgery," she said, adding that some concern among hospital staff came from impacts on lab or diagnostic imaging equipment.
Resident concerned landscape could change
Gino Pin, a longtime architect associated with Pin/Taylor Architects in Old Town, said he has had concerns over the years regarding the impact of development on the unique Northern landscape.
"I haven't seen the site plan or the plans for the hospital and haven't seen the extent of the cutting of trees and blasting," he said. "It is a pretty large facility ... so I can see that there will be a significant amount of disturbance at the site."
Retaining natural surroundings means keeping a level of familiarity which in turn provides added comfort to newcomers who might find the hospital experience "difficult, frightening and totally foreign," he said.
"I find that too often, especially with development that is generated from the south, is that buildings end up being a southern facility rather than one that has a lot of thought put into it regarding Northern lifestyles or ones that are sensitive to the Northern population," he said.
He said he hopes construction companies are able to take that into account so the final look is representative of the North.
Wojciech Brus of Kasian Architecture, who is the project's lead designer, said he is aiming to limit the amount of blasting and ensure there will be a Northern flavour to the hospital grounds.
"Part of our design is to use concepts and motifs related to the NWT and have them expressed in components of the building," he said, adding that the building will feature colours and natural resources from the North, such as copper, and also have designs on the building that will mimic the aurora borealis.
Features sensitive to aboriginal users and families coming in to the facility are to include a cafeteria facing Frame Lake that will mimic the shape of a teepee. There will be a healing circle and firepit for families as well.
"There will be families of patients who are there and in the summer some patients will be able to go outside and sit in a fantastic environment and beautiful park with a direct view of the (legislative) building."
