PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. has completed a defining glazing and structural steel milestone at the new St. Paul’s Hospital campus in Vancouver. The contractor installed a 136,000-kilogram skybridge connecting the hospital to the adjacent Clinical Support and Research Centre (CSRC). According to Ontario Construction News, the lift took place in September using a 750-ton Mammoet crane. The two-storey, 26-metre-long and 3.5-metre-wide structure was raised four months earlier than originally planned. It carries a curtainwall glazing system that was pre-installed at ground level, reducing work above an active roadway and hospital entrance.
Early lift speeds up Vancouver health campus schedule
The skybridge was originally scheduled for January 2027, but the September 2026 installation gives the project team four additional months before the new St. Paul’s Hospital targets its February 2027 opening, REMI Network reported. Ontario Construction News said completing the lift early provides additional time for integration and commissioning before the hospital opens while reducing the potential for future disruption to the roadway between the two buildings. The CSRC is scheduled to open in 2029. The 12-storey, 34,400-square-metre facility will accommodate research and corporate services staff, medical offices, a childcare centre and below-grade parking. The early completion also means the roadway between the hospital and the research centre will not have to be closed again for the bridge installation closer to the hospital opening.
Six months of at-grade prefabrication
Before the lift, crews spent six months prefabricating the skybridge at ground level. The work included assembling structural steel, concrete decks, curtainwall glazing, roofing, fall protection anchors and exterior soffit panels. The structure was built on custom stands engineered to replicate its final slope and loading conditions, an approach that minimized stresses during erection and allowed the glazing to be installed before the bridge was lifted into place. The extensive prefabrication strategy significantly reduced the amount of work required at height above an active roadway and hospital entrance, according to Ontario Construction News. REMI Network added that the method improved quality, safety and constructability.
Glazing installed before the crane arrived
For the glazing trade, the sequence is the story. The 26-metre-long skybridge carries a two-storey curtainwall envelope, and installing the glazing at grade meant no glass handling over a live roadway or a functioning hospital entrance. Ontario Construction News noted that prefabrication reduced work at height and improved safety and constructability. REMI Network added that the strategy improved quality. Neither Ontario Construction News nor REMI Network identified the specific glazing system, framing supplier, glass performance values or the Canadian standard used for the fenestration. The sources also did not say whether the curtainwall was unitized or stick-built, nor did they name the glazing contractor or glass fabricator.
The crane and the lift numbers
The 136,000-kilogram assembly was lifted into place using a 750-ton Mammoet crane, according to Ontario Construction News. The lift was completed in a single operation. At 26 metres long and 3.5 metres wide, the two-storey bridge represented a substantial single pick. The sources did not disclose the crane configuration, rigging details or the exact lift duration. REMI Network reported that the operation followed months of careful planning, and the lift itself was completed in September 2026. Moving the lift to September 2026 reduced the window of overhead work above the hospital entrance during the final push to opening.
Project partners and coordination
The installation required close coordination among Providence Health Care, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Glotman Simpson, Solid Rock Steel and PCL’s project teams, according to ReNew Canada. The same source said the successful lift was the result of years of planning and coordination between project partners, consultants and trade partners. Key stakeholders included:
- Providence Health Care
- Diamond Schmitt Architects
- Glotman Simpson
- Solid Rock Steel
- PCL project teams
ReNew Canada described the skybridge as a vital connection between the future hospital and the CSRC. REMI Network reported that PCL worked through careful planning and execution with the same group. PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. is leading construction on the campus, and the skybridge connection is a central element of the broader redevelopment.
PCL executive credits planning and collaboration
“The successful installation of the skybridge demonstrates what can be achieved through innovation, collaboration and detailed planning,” said Jeff Murphy, PCL’s senior vice-president and district manager, according to Ontario Construction News. In remarks reported by REMI Network, Murphy added: “This milestone brings Providence Health Care one step closer to delivering a connected health campus that will support world-class patient care, research and innovation for generations to come.” The comments reflect the coordination required to lift a 136-tonne glazed bridge into a dense urban site. PCL did not release additional details about the glazing package or the curtainwall installation crews.
What comes next at St. Paul’s
With the skybridge in place, attention shifts to integration and commissioning ahead of the hospital’s targeted February 2027 opening. Ontario Construction News reported that the early lift gives crews extra time for that work. The CSRC is expected to open in 2029, and the connection will support movement between the hospital and research centre as part of the future health-care campus, bringing clinical care, research and support services into closer proximity. The hospital campus is one of British Columbia’s most significant healthcare developments, according to REMI Network, and the skybridge now physically links the two main buildings years before the research centre opens. ReNew Canada said the skybridge will ultimately serve as a critical connection between the new St. Paul’s Hospital and the CSRC.