Misericordia ED will ‘care for body, mind and soul’

Jan Kroman, a Principal at Canada’s Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman (RPK) Architects, based in Edmonton, Alberta, discusses a project to create a new Emergency Department at the city’s Misericordia Community Hospital. He explains that development of ‘a philosophy of flow’ became a focal point ‘for a physical manifestation of a clinical plan that will likely see improved patient outcomes’.

Built in 1969, Misericordia Community Hospital is one of four major acute care hospitals currently serving Edmonton, as well as central and northern Alberta, and the Northwest Territories. Owned by Alberta Health Services (AHS), and operated by Covenant Health, the campus has been redeveloped and expanded to better suit community needs over its half century of operation. The hospital's Emergency Department had outgrown its current space, facing overcrowding, substandard conditions, ever-increasing mechanical system challenges and, in some cases, infrastructure failures. In late 2017, a major capital project was initiated by Alberta Infrastructure, AHS, and Covenant Health to create a new Emergency Department adjacent and connected to the main hospital on the campus. More than a simple addition, this project challenged industry norms in several key ways.

The project's innovation started from its inception, with the consultant team chosen via a qualification-based selection process. The methodology priorities the merits of each proponent, with fees not considered in the overall adjudication. This allows for key considerations, such as firm and individual consultant experience, team availability, and fit to drive procurement. Via this process, Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman (RPK) Architects was named prime consultant and lead design architect.