Holmberg House

Holmberg House is Abbotsford’s first adult (19+) hospice care facility, named in honour of the late David Holmberg Jr. His family generously donated for the construction of this hospice containing 10 patient suites, 2 family suites and a full range of holistic services. Construction began in 2012 on land that was donated to the Abbotsford Hospice Society by the City of Abbotsford. The two-storey facility provides a home-like environment for people to spend their last days while family members receive support. Holmberg House relies on dedicated staff, volunteers and donations to provide a tranquil setting, emotional, social and practical comfort and support during the final precious days of a loved one’s life. The benefits offered by the services provided reduce emotional suffering and risk of harmful behaviours, helping connect with those grieving or dying alone, and creating larger support groups by connecting families, children and caregivers with those facing end-of-life processes.

Williams Engineering (WE) provided mechanical design services for this project which included heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing and fire protection.  The project consisted of a 2-storey wood-framed hospice building of approximately 27,583 ft2, built over a basement connecting to an underground parkade. The building’s heating and air conditioning were provided by a distributed water source heat pump system with a central boiler and dry cooler. Each of the care rooms was provided with individual water source heat pumps for heating and cooling zone control. Fresh air ventilation requirements for the building were provided through a central rooftop air handling unit, with ducting distribution to each water source heat pump.  Outlets are located in each of the care rooms for the medical oxygen gas and vacuum central system. An NFPA 96 kitchen exhaust system interlocked with a make-up air unit provides ventilation to the commercial kitchen. A boiler and storage tank with a recirculation system were used to provide domestic hot water to the building to ensure timely hot water at all fixtures. The plumbing fixtures for the care rooms were provided with mixing valves to discharge hot water below scalding temperatures. Plumbing was designed for all residential fixtures, roof, and site drainage requirements. A performance specification was provided to address the building sprinkler requirements.

WE is proud to have been part of Holmberg House’s vision to provide comfortable home-like settings to those and their families who are suffering from terminal illnesses while having close access to various support services. It’s comforting to know that people who are nearing the end of their lives can do so in a comfortable and supportive environment for both themselves and their families.