Michael Garron Hospital Patient Care Tower, Toronto

The redesign and expansion of Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto involved constructing a new tower and a renovation of existing medical, surgical and rehabilitation units, and other administrative services.

The tower is part of an approximately $560 million redevelopment project, the largest in the hospital’s history, and aims to address the hospital’s overarching goal to change the care provided to its surrounding community by increasing support for acute episodic care, chronic healthcare, and a wellness-focused approach to care delivery.

Transforming parking into green space

Led by B+H Architects (Toronto) in a joint venture partnership with Diamond Schmitt Architects (Toronto), the design vision began with transforming a former 100-spot surface parking lot into an accessible green terrace. The outdoor space is adorned with public art, seating, and opportunities for community activities, such as a weekly farmers’ markets.

Parking was relocated and expanded to four levels underground. This approach enhanced patients and care team access into the facility by way of elevators leading into the patient care tower above.

Patient care tower expands acute care services

Since the hospital’s founding nearly 100 years ago, the demographics of the community and demands for healthcare have changed. The community surrounding the facility is culturally diverse and has a broad spectrum of health and social care needs, including chronic, complex illnesses, and mental health challenges.

To address the community’s population growth and increased demand for services, the project expands the hospital’s acute care capabilities by 550,000 square feet. The new tower houses 215 patient beds, 80 percent of which are private rooms.

Overlooking green space, the new patient tower also integrates ambulatory procedure suites, recovery areas, outpatient clinics, and a secure terrace for expanded adult and pediatric mental health units.

The project creates central gathering spaces, and a reorient patient drop-off bay and new wayfinding help create clear visual connections to interior destinations.

Sustainable, bird-friendly design features

The patient care tower earned LEED v4 Building Design and Construction Silver certification and features a highly insulated building envelope and energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems.

Improving the hospital’s overall building performance, a green roof helps to produce cleaner air, reduce storm water run-off, and more efficiently cool the complex during the summer. The green roof, public open space, and mental health terraces are landscaped with adaptive and drought-tolerant plants that provide ecological diversity.

Additionally, the tower features bird-friendly windows, which have a dotted-glass pattern to allow birds to better navigate flight paths and to support bird conservation. Lastly, the water-efficient plumbing of the facility will also reduce the hospital’s overall water usage by approximately 30 percent.

Michael Garron Hospital patient care tower project details

Location: Toronto

Completion: January 2023

Owner: Michael Garron Hospital

Total building area: 650,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost: $411 million

Cost/sq. ft.: $632

Architect: B+H in joint venture partnership with Diamond Schmitt Architects

Interior designer: B+H in joint venture partnership with Diamond Schmitt Architects

General contractor: EllisDon Infrastructure, Modern Niagara, Univex

Engineer: WalterFedy (civil), Stephenson (structural), LMDG (code consultant), Crossey (mechanical)

Builder: EllisDon Design Build Inc.

Accessibility consultant: Humanspace

Acoustics consultant: Valcoustics

Landscape consultant: F+A

Geotechnical consultant: WSP

Elevator consultant: KJA

Environmental consultant: Theakston

Energy model consultant: Caneta

Engineer: Mulvey & Banani

 

Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Healthcare Design.