[Halifax] QE II Health Sciences Centre | ? | 14 fl | U/C

[Wannabe Economist]

That image really puts the scale of the thing into perspective especially comparing it to the adjacent buildings which are quite massive in their own right. It makes the George look like a townhouse, when it's a 171-unit building. Definitely a much needed upgrade that will vastly enhance our capabilities and will be such a big boost for our province that I hardly even mind the bargain-bin cladding on the podium.

[LikeCranes]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

A 6-year build seems rather long even for something of this scope.

I recall the twisted sister plan was going to take six years and a hospital is so much more complex.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by LikeCranes

I recall the twisted sister plan was going to take six years and a hospital is so much more complex.

A significant aspect of this as well is the staging of clinical services throughout construction. It is not just a matter of course of the construction of the building, compared to if this was a residential building for example, because one of the massive complexities that has had to be dealt with is how to handle moving services and associated equipment during the transition. As an example, there was major diagnostic equipment that was originally in a section of the building that had to be demolished to accommodate the new buildings, and you can't just have that service disappear, so there had to be renovation/construction that occurred in the existing building envelope to move that equipment/service before that demolition could occur. The entire planning matrix of not just building this but transitioning clinical services without impact on patient care is mind boggling.

[JET]

Originally Posted by beyeas

A significant aspect of this as well is the staging of clinical services throughout construction. It is not just a matter of course of the construction of the building, compared to if this was a residential building for example, because one of the massive complexities that has had to be dealt with is how to handle moving services and associated equipment during the transition. As an example, there was major diagnostic equipment that was originally in a section of the building that had to be demolished to accommodate the new buildings, and you can't just have that service disappear, so there had to be renovation/construction that occurred in the existing building envelope to move that equipment/service before that demolition could occur. The entire planning matrix of not just building this but transitioning clinical services without impact on patient care is mind boggling.

Not to mention what will happen if they don’t add more parking to accommodate the services/patients that be moving to this site, same thing happened when they first built the new Infirmary.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by JET

Not to mention what will happen if they don’t add more parking to accommodate the services/patients that be moving to this site, same thing happened when they first built the new Infirmary.

Heh. I had an ortho appointment there on the second or third day it was open. Total bedlam prevailed. The waiting room was wall to wall standees because they didn’t have enough chairs for the space, so you had people with broken legs or fresh out of knee surgery forced to stand for hours. Of course everything was running way late too. When I finally got to see my ortho doc he was just ranting and raving about the entire debacle. “They didn’t listen to us! They gave us half of the area we told them we’d need and when we arrived, none of our stuff was here!” he went on, for about 15 minutes. Just a total debacle.

[kph06]

Irving has a large mobile crane setup at the Bell Toad end of the site. I suspect the northernmost, shortest crane will be removed.

[Summerville]

Originally Posted by kph06

Irving has a large mobile crane setup at the Bell Toad end of the site. I suspect the northernmost, shortest crane will be removed.

Looks like they are dropping in the structure for a parking garage off of Bell rd

[someone123]

https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/10/14...aches-milestone-wins-collaboration-award

[JET]

Working on level 8 of 14, and expected to open fall of 2031.

[JET]

Is there a new parking structure on Bell rd, I can’t tell from all the construction.

[teddifax]

My understanding was that a second parking garage was to be built at site of the former CBC building... it is really needed.

[JET]

Originally Posted by teddifax

My understanding was that a second parking garage was to be built at site of the former CBC building... it is really needed.

It was in the original plan, but then left out. It is very much needed.
When they open the new hospital parking will be impossible.

[Keith P.]

The parkade that replaced the original one on Robie St is awful. Hard to access, not very big, and with a terrible connection to the main building. I’ve resorted to relying on Ubers just to avoid the hassle.

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by JET

It was in the original plan, but then left out. It is very much needed.
When they open the new hospital parking will be impossible.

Is there not going to be a parking garage under the new hospital? My understanding there will be.

[mleblanc]

It's crazy to see it dwarf the old sections of the QE2 already with it only being halfway completed. I think the section on the corner of Robie/Bell is underground parking? I saw them haul in these massive girders that would make sense for a parking structure, but I'm not exactly sure.

[JET]

Originally Posted by mleblanc

It's crazy to see it dwarf the old sections of the QE2 already with it only being halfway completed. I think the section on the corner of Robie/Bell is underground parking? I saw them haul in these massive girders that would make sense for a parking structure, but I'm not exactly sure.

Page 7 of the construction document does refer to underground parking (and surface ER parking, in the new building. https://buildns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/QEII-Renew-FAQ-Updated-06JUN2025.pdf