The Paul Myers Acute Care Tower at Lions Gate Hospital is a major healthcare infrastructure project delivered by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to significantly expand acute care capacity for the North Shore and coastal communities of British Columbia. The six-storey, 21,775 m² tower provides 108 single-patient rooms, eight state-of-the-art operating rooms, and a modern Medical Device Reprocessing Department (MDRD). Constructed within an active hospital campus, the project required a high level of control over construction noise and vibration to ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical healthcare services, including trauma and stroke care.

Working with the architect (HDR Architecture Associates Inc.) and builder (PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.), BKL Consultants Ltd. Provided comprehensive acoustical consulting throughout design and construction. Services included sound isolation for internal partitions and the building envelope; reverberation control in patient, staff, and public areas; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing noise mitigation to protect both occupants and the surrounding community; speech privacy design; and vibration isolation for reciprocating and rotating equipment. BKL also implemented construction noise and vibration monitoring at the existing facility and in the community to proactively manage risk of noise and vibration impacts during the build. To support commissioning, BKL performed hundreds of field measurements to demonstrate compliance with the project’s stringent acoustical requirements.

A particularly complex element was the Sacred Space and Elders’ House, where BKL developed project-specific sound isolation solutions to enable cultural practices such as drumming and singing while achieving the stringent sound isolation requirements of the acute care environment.

In response to the project’s demanding acoustical requirements, BKL implemented practical, cost-effective acoustical design solutions supported by proactive construction noise and vibration monitoring. The team developed tailored solutions informed by local market knowledge, and global experience.

Working closely with HDR and PCL, BKL applied a “design for verification” approach. This included comprehensive sound isolation analysis to ensure speech privacy, reverberation control strategies to support patient recovery and staff effectiveness, and coordination to control MEP noise and vibration. A 3-D environmental noise model was developed to assess exterior sources and optimize glazing and envelope assemblies early to avoid late-stage changes. BKL clearly defined testing methodologies and acceptance criteria, which was particularly valuable for operating rooms where clean room requirements limited acoustical treatment options.

During construction, BKL implemented a real-time noise and vibration monitoring system with automated alerts when thresholds were approached, allowing construction methods to be adjusted before sensitive areas were affected. The team remained involved through commissioning, conducting hundreds of field measurements to verify compliance prior to occupancy.

BKL’s tailored acoustical solutions and monitoring program supported project delivery by avoiding delays related to noise and vibration, minimizing community impacts and ensuring acoustical requirements were met while hospital operations continued. The new facility’s acoustical environments enhance patient privacy and comfort, support staff performance, and protect sensitive clinical areas, with culturally significant spaces delivered to support reconciliation and culturally safe care.