This Earth Day, the Cowichan District Hospital (CDH) Replacement Project is celebrating its future as a sustainable healthcare facility, with more space for patient care and a reduced environmental footprint. Cowichan’s new hospital is the first fossil fuel-free hospital in BC and Canada’s first hospital to achieve Zero Carbon Building – Design™ certification from the Canada Green Building Council.
“We’re building hospitals that will care for people in our communities for generations,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “This certification shows that through innovative design, we can create hospitals that support the well-being of families and a sustainable future.”
Hospitals require significant energy to operate critical life-saving equipment, maintain indoor air quality and ensure safe, comfortable environments for patients and staff. The future CDH sets new benchmarks for healthcare infrastructure by optimizing energy use and future-proofing the building for better performance through extreme weather and climate-related events.
“The health of our environment is an important part of our overall health,” said Debra Toporowski, MLA for Cowichan Valley and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health. “That’s why I’m so glad that the future Cowichan District Hospital will provide the healthcare services that people need, while minimizing the impact on the land, water, and air around us.”
The hospital’s leading edge sustainability measures will free up resources for patient care while supporting patient and staff well-being and delivering environmental benefits. Highlights include:
- Fully electric operation: The first all-electric hospital in B.C., it eliminates reliance on fossil fuels.
- Highly energy efficient design: A high-performance building envelope minimizes heat loss, reducing overall energy demand by 30% compared to the current hospital.
- Better air quality: Advanced ventilation and filtration systems support cleaner air, benefiting people with respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD and providing greater operational resilience during wildfire smoke events.
- On-site renewable energy generation: Rooftop solar panels will generate 2.5 percent of the hospital’s annual energy needs, reducing operating costs and reliance on external energy sources.
- Water conservation strategies: 60% more water-efficient than the current hospital
- Sustainable materials: Use of low-carbon concrete, mass timber, rebar and insulation to minimize embodied carbon in construction.
- LED lighting which uses 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs; and
- Low global warming potential refrigerants to minimize carbon emissions in mechanical equipment.
“The new Cowichan District Hospital’s visionary design aligns with Island Health’s commitment to making a positive contribution to healthy people and a healthy planet,” said Leah Hollins, Island Health Board Chair.
“Island Health is taking action to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions Island-wide by 50 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, setting the bar high on environmental sustainability and supporting community preparedness and resiliency for climate emergencies.”
The Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project is being delivered by the Nuts'a'maat Alliance, which includes Island Health, EllisDon Corporation, Parkin Architects, BC Infrastructure Benefits, and Infrastructure BC. For more information on the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project, visit www.islandhealth.ca/newcdh.
What people are saying:
Chief Cindy Daniels, Cowichan Tribes
“We raise our hands to the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project team for their efforts to reduce environmental impacts through the design of the new hospital. Our teachings remind us to steward the well-being of both our smus-timuhw (body) and our tumuhw (environment) and that everything in nature is part of our family. Ensuring both the health of the land and the health of people are prioritized will provide better long-term outcomes for the facility and its users. Congratulations on achieving this milestone designation.”
Kate Segall, Board Chair, Cowichan Valley Regional District
"A hospital should promote health in every way possible, and this building does just that. Meeting zero carbon design standards is a forward-thinking achievement that will benefit our community for generations."
Rob Douglas, Mayor, Municipality of North Cowichan
“The new Cowichan District Hospital is a cornerstone of North Cowichan’s leadership in sustainability and a major step toward achieving our Climate Action and Energy Plan goals. This state-of-the-art health care facility exemplifies strong leadership in building efficiency, reducing emissions, and incorporating renewable energy sources like solar power. By drastically lowering or even eliminating greenhouse gas emissions compared to the existing hospital, this project will contribute to a healthier, more resilient community for generations to come.”
David Robertson, Board Chair, Cowichan District Hospital Foundation
“We’re proud to be a partner in the development of this incredible new healthcare facility that will serve the Cowichan Valley community for years to come. Everything about this project is ‘cutting edge’ and we applaud the vision to make this hospital a zero-carbon building.”
Sean Dekoning, Senior Vice President & Area Manager, EllisDon
“We are exceedingly proud to be part of the Alliance building the state-of-the-art Cowichan District Hospital, which will serve the diverse communities of Cowichan Valley while also setting unprecedented sustainability standards. Being the first hospital in Canada to receive the Zero Carbon Building design certification is a testament to the hard work, meticulous planning, and commitment to sustainability that our team has exemplified from the project’s inception. We look forward to our continued collaboration with our Alliance partners to deliver a facility that will serve the needs of community for generations to come.”
Shane Czypyha, Principal, Parkin Architects Limited
“We are proud to be part of the team delivering the new Cowichan District Hospital—the first hospital in Canada to achieve Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard certification. This landmark achievement reflects our commitment to innovative, sustainable design that supports both environmental responsibility and community well-being. By integrating cutting-edge efficiency measures and renewable energy solutions, this facility sets a new benchmark for the future of healthcare infrastructure.”
Greg Johnson, Executive Director, Stakeholder and Community Relations, BC Infrastructure Benefits
“This new hospital is being built by Cowichan Valley locals, including Quw’utsun Nation members, women, and apprentices. This project has twice the rate of Indigenous workers as the provincial average and more than a third of the workforce have been trainees or apprentices, the in-demand workers of the future. These workers are building a zero carbon legacy and a skilled trades legacy, right at home in the Cowichan Valley."
Jeff Good, Vice President, Alliance & Stakeholder Relations, Infrastructure BC
“The Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project has been a trailblazer in many ways. This latest achievement of a zero-carbon building, the first hospital in Canada to receive this certification, is a testament to the high performance and game-breaking innovation promoted by the Alliance model. Infrastructure BC continues to be a proud Nuts’a’maat Alliance partner that is providing a state-of-the-art hospital that will serve the people of Cowichan Valley for decades to come.”
Jan Willemse, Partner, ZGF Architects
“Healthcare buildings are inherently carbon intensive. As Canada’s first zero carbon hospital, the Cowichan District Replacement Hospital proves that significant reductions to embodied and operational carbon in complex buildings are possible. We are honored to work with Island Health and the Nuts'a'maat Alliance to deliver a building that supports planet and community health and offers a blueprint for future healthcare projects.”
Thomas Mueller, President and CEO, Canada Green Building Council
“The future Cowichan District Hospital is setting a national precedent as the first hospital in Canada to achieve Zero Carbon Building-Design certification. By eliminating reliance on fossil fuels through a fully electric design, high performance enclosures and using building materials like mass timber and low-carbon concrete, this project proves that world-class healthcare and sustainability can go hand in hand.”