World-Class Cardiac Care for BC’s Interior

The Interior Heart and Surgical Centre is an addition to the Kelowna General Hospital. This health care facility houses a cardiac surgery program that supports an estimated 600 open-heart surgery procedures each year.

The first three floors of the facility opened in September 2015. This portion of the project was delivered by public-private partnership, with design by HDR and HOK Architects in joint venture. The two lower floors include private pre-operation and post-operation bays for day surgery, family rooms, a cardiac surgery ICU, 15 operating rooms including two for cardiac operations and advanced medical imaging equipment to support minimally invasive surgery. The third floor features a reprocessing department for medical devices.

The fourth and final floor, a perinatal unit, was designed by HDR, and opened in March 2016. It includes five labour and delivery rooms, 17 inpatient beds and a specialized neonatal intensive care unit.

Throughout the Interior Heart and Surgical Centre, evidence-based design principles were used to support patient health and to improve the safety and comfort of staff, patients and visitors. The building is certified LEED Gold.

Wood is featured as exterior wall cladding and in the canopy and soffits, and used extensively in interior decorative elements. The use of wood promotes a warm and natural aesthetic that supports the vision of a facility dedicated to healing.