Black & McDonald is proud to be a cornerstone contributor to one of British Columbia’s most transformative health care infrastructure initiatives: the BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital Redevelopment. Led by the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), this multi-phase project began in 2014 with the vision to create a state-of-the art facility anchored by the new Teck Acute Care Centre (TACC).
Since 2017, Black & McDonald has delivered comprehensive Facilities Management services, ensuring the hospital’s intricate systems run reliably to support exceptional patient care. As a key member of the AFFINITY P3 consortium—alongside ZGF, HDR-CEI Architects, Balfour Beatty, and Ledcor—B&M played a foundational role in shaping the facility’s infrastructure, laying the mechanical and electrical groundwork for a resilient, future-ready healthcare facility.
“If a child anywhere in British Columbia needs a heart transplant or specialized surgery, this is where they come,” said Paul Lukkarinen, General Manager. “That’s the scale and responsibility we’re working with.”
The new TACC facility houses 13 state-of-the-art operating rooms dedicated to pediatric care. Through a direct connection to BC Women’s Hospital, the campus is equipped to manage high-risk births, with four specialized delivery rooms designed to provide immediate access to neonatal and maternal care teams.
“From surgical suites to emergency response protocols, every system is integrated so that urgent care is never delayed or compromised,” Lukkarinen said.
For the duration of the 30-year contract, B&M will continue to deliver a comprehensive suite of services. This includes Plant Services and Help Desk Operations, providing rapid response and seamless coordination across departments; Preventive Maintenance and Lifecycle Planning, designed to extend asset life and enhance system performance; responsive support for tenant requests and facility improvements that adapt to evolving clinical and administrative needs; and Project Management that drives upgrades and expansions with precision, care, and minimal disruption to hospital operations.
“Health and safety is a top priority, with dedicated personnel embedded on site to ensure compliance and continuity, said Lukkarinen. Every month, our help desk fields over 500 phone calls and 200 emails, plus hundreds of automated alerts from the building management system—everything from HVAC temperature fluctuations to system alarms. It’s a complex operation, but one we manage with precision and care to keep the hospital running smoothly.”
B&M’s commitment to operational excellence is especially critical given the hospital’s location in a seismic zone. As a designated post-disaster recovery facility, the BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital campus is engineered to remain fully functional for a minimum of 72 hours following a major earthquake. TACC incorporates several essential systems to support this mandate, including on-site water storage and sewage containment, and emergency generators capable of powering the entire facility for 72 hours.
IT Infrastructure & Facility Maintenance
The hospital’s advanced IT infrastructure includes more than 1,100 wireless Vocera badges—hands-free voice communication devices that empower nursing staff to respond to patient calls, coordinate care, and communicate instantly across departments. These tools play a critical role in streamlining workflows and enhancing patient safety. Black & McDonald oversees not only the maintenance of the badges themselves, but also the servers and systems that support their functionality.
Since July, B&M has assumed full responsibility for the facility’s maintenance and lifecycle management—from servicing elevators to end-of-life asset replacements—ensuring operational continuity and alignment with the hospital’s evolving clinical and infrastructure needs.
Energy management is a core responsibility of the Facilities Management team—and Black & McDonald’s commitment to sustainability is embedded throughout the hospital campus. The LEED Gold-certified TACC building features high-performance, energy-efficient systems supported by advanced monitoring and optimization technologies, enabling the team to track and improve energy performance on both a monthly and annual basis. The result: measurable cost savings, enhanced operational resilience, and a facility well-equipped to meet the evolving demands of modern health care.
“Our work at BC Children’s Hospital really shows what our FM team is all about—bringing care, expertise, and heart to complex infrastructure,” Lukkarinen said. “It’s a team effort, built on strong partnerships and a shared commitment to creating spaces that support healing every single day.”
Black & McDonald applauds the commitment of every team member who helped bring this transformative project to life, supporting thousands of families across British Columbia and raising the bar for health care delivery.
A special shout-out goes to our incredible onsite team for their dedication and expertise: Brad Bell, Facility Manager; Anthony Ota, Life Cycle Manager; Magnolia Celis and June Van Dun, Administrators; Abdul Mazawi, Chief Engineer; Tyler Gill, LH Carpenter; Robert Turner, Plumber; Masoud Bassirmand and Sean O’Hara, Electricians; Elias Planas, Senior IT Technician; Ricky Kanith, IT Technician; Nabil Khan, Kristopher Flintoff, Zorawar Singh, and Isaiah Odagwe, Building Operators; and Elvan Planas, Intern IT Technician.
Learn more: BM_News_Winter_2026_EN.pdf