Stantec / KPMB Architects, joint venture, is providing architectural design services for the planning phase of The Hospital for Sick Children’s (SickKids) 10-plus year campus redevelopment, Project Horizon.
The goal of this three-phase development is to build an inspired hospital of the future; transform care delivery; enable staff, physicians, and researchers to do their best work; and empower patients and families to be partners in their care.
The third phase will include replacing two of the oldest buildings on the campus with a new acute care hospital, the Peter Gilgan Family Patient Care Tower.
The tower will add new patient and critical care beds to the hospital, increasing the number of beds to 430, including a new Level IV neonatal intensive care unit. Three additional operating suites, for a total of 19, will be adapted to accommodate new technologies and procedures, and a new emergency department will offer 51 treatment spaces, 12 more than the current capacity.
“Our team at Stantec has a rich history with SickKids, having provided ongoing design services for more than 20 years. Many of us have had personal experience with SickKids, and it’s an honour to help the hospital transform its iconic healthcare campus to help our families, neighbours, and friends access the world-class care SickKids delivers every day,” said Tim Eastwood, principal at Stantec.
The vision for the project includes all spaces unfurling from a central garden, a treed courtyard at the centre of the master plan. The garden metaphor reinforces the therapeutic benefits of nature, including sunlight and fresh air. Playgrounds and communal spaces will have access to the outdoors and views of the city skyline. Welcoming entrances and generous light-filled corridors will be organized to support the intuitive flow of people and services throughout.
To ensure the SickKids campus remains fully functional during the construction of the tower, the Stantec/KPMB team is also designing a series of projects in the remaining facilities to accommodate relocated programs, help support patient care and experience, and upgrade the site and building infrastructure.
“Such scale, complexity, and such a global vision – Healthier Children. A Better World – make Project Horizon an ideal project of architecture and urban design in this unprecedented time,” said Mitchell Hall, a partner at KPMB Architects. “It is a privilege to be working with SickKids on how architectural design can play a role in redefining traditional acute care service models and the integration of precision medicine, while ensuring maximum operational efficiency and effectiveness.”
The redeveloped campus will support the integration of emerging healthcare technologies with the goal of improving SickKids’ operational efficiency. The new spaces will help provide a healing environment for patients and families in the post-pandemic future.
