The Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project (CDHRP) is more than just a hospital. It’s a ground-breaking approach to healthcare design, with a patient-centred focus at its core. Parkin Architects in association with ZGF Architects worked collaboratively as part of the CDHRP Nuts’a’maat Alliance to create a facility that not only provides top-notch medical care but also fosters a healing environment.

The new seven-story hospital is a true state-of-the-art facility. Divided into a Diagnostic and Treatment (“D&T”) Block and Inpatient Tower, the 204-bed hospital is designed to provide a comprehensive range of acute care services to the community.

The heart of the facility is the two-story community hall that connects the D&T Block and Inpatient Tower. This space employs mass timber throughout and is designed to promote social interaction and connection, giving patients, families, and staff a warm and welcoming environment to gather and support each other.

One of the most important aspects of the project was incorporating a patient-centred approach to design. Our team worked closely with Indigenous Nations to ensure the facility was culturally sensitive and significant to the local communities. We wanted to ensure the hospital not only meets the medical needs of the patients but also provides a healing environment that fosters a sense of community and belonging. 

“There are 185 rooms in Cowichan District Hospital equipped for burning customs,” says Shane Czypyha, Principal at Parkin Architects, one of two firms that designed the hospital. 

“The initial design specified just one room to be equipped with provisions for Indigenous healing practices involving burning (in Hul’q’umi’num: shqw’uqw-wiils – something used to spiritually cleanse),” he adds.

“But it makes more sense for patients to perform healing customs in their own rooms, so each of the 185 rooms have independently controlled smoke systems.”

Further to culturally inclusive features, we are collaborating with Indigenous knowledge keepers to design an Indigenous kitchen, a teaching kitchen, an art program, gardens, and a culturally-safe design of the Emergency Department triage desk. 

“In our conversations with the Indigenous community members, one of the concerns raised was that patients have experienced discrimination which has led to mistrust and prevents many from accessing health care. The triage desk was redesigned in a way that moves security to a less prominent location, creating a more accepting, inclusive environment that fosters healing, while maintaining safety,” adds Czypyha.

Sustainability-wise, Cowichan is on track to become the first CaGBC Net-Zero Carbon Hospital in Canada, and BC's first fully-electric hospital. In addition, two of the building structures, the Reach Out Building (which houses the Indigenous Health program) and the Conference Centre are all mass-timber construction, often difficult to achieve on a hospital project. 

In terms of delivery models, it is the first vertical Alliance Project Delivery Model in Canada, which makes the Owner, Contractor, and Designer all equal partners, enabling true collaboration and "Best for Project" decisions to be made over the course of the project.