Milton District Hospital

Efficient and Inspired Expansion

Milton District Hospital is a community hospital that serves residents of the fastest growing community in Canada -- the town of Milton and its surrounding areas.  The facility offers a wide range of primary care services, including emergency care, obstetrics, general medicine, intensive care, surgery, rehabilitation, complex transitional care, medical imaging and more.  In the spring of 2015 construction was started to expand the Milton District Hospital to keep pace with unprecedented population growth, increasing demand, and the need to diversify services.

The goal: Build bigger, better, bolder

 The expansion project added 330,000 square feet of space to the existing 125,000-square-foot hospital, almost tripling its size. The goal was to create a space that would be inclusive and accessible, promote healing and wellbeing, while contributing to community and the environment.  The project was designed and built to achieve LEED Silver certification, but it surpassed expectations to secure a LEED Gold certification.

The Challenge

The design of the expanded Milton District Hospital would need to be patient- and family-focused, foster a positive work and healing environment, be community-centric and flexible enough to support emerging thinking, practices, and technology, while allowing for adaptation to suit the town’s growing healthcare needs.  The expansion would also need to provide greater facility efficiencies, conserve resources, support sustainable practices and be environmentally conscious.  The expansion itself would need to take place within a tight timeline, be minimally disruptive as possible, and allow for the existing facility to remain fully operational during construction.

The Solution 

Over 600 workers fuelled a constant flurry of daily construction activity to keep the project moving forward on time.  Sustainable materials were selected, when possible.  ROCKWOOL CAVITYROCK® stone wool insulation was chosen for the exterior cavity wall, specified by B+H Architects because it provided significant benefits to the building, was sourced locally, supported its sustainability profile, and offered important properties that could contribute to occupant comfort and wellbeing.  Over 80,000 sq. ft. of CAVITYROCK® semi-rigid board insulation was installed in a six-inch layer that enveloped the building in continuous insulation to provide long-term thermal performance and reduce energy demand.  ROCKWOOL stone wool is often a leading choice for architects because it can be used to help achieve the prerequisite minimum energy performance and optimized energy performance credits for LEED certification.  In fact, the advantages and performance of stone wool are particularly coveted when building to strict standards such as Passive House, LEED® v4 and Living Building challenges.   ROCKWOOL’s contribution to Milton District Hospital as a healthy, highly efficient and

cost-saving high-performance green building is reflected in the project’s LEED score card, where it scored exceptionally well in the Energy & Atmosphere category.  Its natural raw materials, high recycled content and circular production process make it a highly sustainable choice.  Over the hospital’s lifespan, ROCKWOOL will continue to contribute to efficient operation and maintenance, energy savings, and building durability.  Non-combustible stone wool insulation also bolstered the hospital’s fire safety measures by offering passive fire protection that is essential in a healthcare facility housing vulnerable occupants. The density and non-directional fibre structure of ROCKWOOL CAVITYROCK® also delivers superior sound dampening to help create a calm, quiet environment conducive to healing and recovery. ROCKWOOL insulation’s mold, mildew and moisture resistance, along with its high drying potential, further supported the need for excellent air quality.  Those properties, along with easy material handling, also allowed contractors to stay on schedule, despite weather conditions on site. 

Overall, the design of the expanded Milton District Hospital accomplishes a healing and supportive environment that prioritizes patient wellbeing on all levels – physical, mental and spiritual.  It offers privacy and dignity, safe, warm and positive spaces filled with light and views to reduce stress and promote healing.  The expanded Milton District Hospital is now well positioned to support healthy lives, patient comfort, a best-in-class environment for health practitioners and employees, as well as easy accessibility to resources and services, while reducing its own carbon footprint.