Western Memorial Regional Hospital Sets New Infrastructure Precedent and Receives LEED Silver Certification 

August 16, 2024

The new Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook is home to Canada’s largest geothermal system, which has set a precedent for modern infrastructure for both Newfoundland and Labrador and North America. The geothermal field is approximately 600 feet below the hospital’s parking lot, and provides 100 per cent of the ground source geothermal heating for the hospital – the largest solution of its kind for a health care facility in North America.

With efficiency and cost-savings at the forefront, this groundbreaking system provides approximately 12 per cent total cost savings over the life span of 30 years. The geothermal system was also key in eliminating cooling towers at the hospital, saving up to two million gallons of water per year.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED®) Silver Certification is issued by the Canada Green Building Council, LEED®, an international symbol of sustainability excellence and green building leadership. LEED® certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project was designed and built, or operated, to achieve high performance in six areas of human and environmental health:

• Location and transportation
• Sustainable site development
• Water savings
• Energy efficiency
• Materials selection
• Indoor environmental quality

The new Western Regional Memorial Hospital was constructed and officially handed over by the Corner Brook Health Partnership (CBHP) to the province in November 2023. NL Health Services is now in operational control of the facility and opened the new hospital to the public earlier this spring.

The Corner Brook Health Partnership is comprised of the following members:

• Developer: Plenary Americas
• Design-builder: PCL/MARCO, A Joint Venture
• Architects: Parkin/B+H, A Joint Venture
• Facilities Management: Johnson Controls Inc.
• Mechanical/Electrical Subcontractors: Cahill Plan Group JV
• Structural Consultant: WSP Canada Group Limited
• LEED Consultant: Footprint
• Geothermal: Geosource Energy

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