Corner Brook Acute Care Hospital (new Western Memorial Regional Hospital)

As a major regional healthcare centre, the new Western Memorial Regional Hospital is a civic landmark inspired by what makes Western Newfoundland and the Corner Brook community unique — a connected, caring community cradled by dramatic landscapes. The new hospital opened to patients in June 2024.

The new seven-storey, 600,000 square-foot hospital is connected to the 145-bed long-term care facility that Plenary Health previously built on the site. It has 164 beds with the same services currently provided at the existing Western Memorial Regional Hospital, as well as an expanded cancer care program, including radiation services.

Design features

The Building’s design has drawn inspiration from Western Newfoundland’s regional geology and vernacular architecture to shape architecture that is rooted in place. The massing of its primary volumes mirrors the layered rolling landforms of the landscapes of Western Newfoundland.

The articulation of the building envelope has been strongly driven by maximizing daylight and views, as a result the buildings public areas are highly transparent and welcome visitors in during the day and become glowing destinations by night.

At the key clinical departments on Level 0, tall windows align with patient therapy bays to frame west-facing views out into the therapy gardens, the City and valley beyond. On Level 1 of the podium, the public areas have been framed with long strip windows to allow views in as well as out of the facility, creating warm and welcoming scenes of space. The fenestration on the upper levels are organized to align with the programmatic needs while still providing access to an abundant amount of daylight into the inpatient units, and providing views to the landscape beyond.

Innovations

Our design features an effective horizontal and vertical circulation system, clinical adjacencies, segregation of flow, integration of building systems, optimized sightlines and intuitive wayfinding. The result is compact, functional design which minimizes distances for clinicians, nurses, and housekeeping staff, allowing for time to be better spent caring for patients.

As part of our goal of delivering value added design features, a geothermal heating and cooling system is provided as the primary heating and cooling source for the Facility. While at a higher capital cost, this system significantly reduces the Facility’s electrical consumption and demand, providing for significant financial savings over the life of the Facility.

Local economic impacts

Over the course of construction, an estimated 4,000 person years of employment and $460 million in GDP is expected to be created.