Stantec Designing New Patient Tower for Toronto Hospital
By HCO Staff
TORONTO—Global integrated design firm Stantec was selected as the prime consultant to provide architectural, interior design, and building and civil engineering services for the new Queensway Health Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Part of Trillium Health Partners (THP), the nine-story, 600,000-square-foot patient tower will address the needs of the growing community and aging infrastructure. Once complete, the expansion will offer over 350 beds in a modern, dedicated center for complex care and rehabilitation services.
The building design creates a healing environment with access to daylight and views supporting patients and their families throughout the patient journey, while offering intuitive wayfinding that minimizes patient travel within the facility. Landscaped outdoor spaces will serve as natural extensions of indoor patient and public spaces providing amenity space for patients, families, and staff. The building design brings a strong sense of connection to the community and reinforces the urban fabric.
The new hospital building will connect to the existing hospital complex via a pedestrian corridor.
The patient tower will define the northern edge of the Queensway campus, with the primary hospital building clearly visible from the north and northwest entrances. With H-shaped floor plates that reflect the use and clinical functionality of the building, the new tower rises up nine stories and provides a landmark for the community.
On the ground floor, public entrances will greet patients, families, and their visitors with check-in services, waiting areas, administration support, and retail amenities. Visitors travelling up the tower experience magnificent views of the city and Etobicoke Creek as they step off the elevator, they are quickly oriented and have a clear visual connection to the nursing units.
Two courtyards, one open to the east and one to the west, offer a place for respite and connection to nature. The east courtyard will be shared between the public and patients, with the north half providing a landscaped amenity that respects the privacy of patient bedrooms with a mix of low stone walls and planting. The south half is an open landscaped public space with a pedestrian entrance in the southeast public lobby area.
“In designing Queensway Health Centre, our team is embracing THP’s values of Compassion, Excellence, and Courage to create a dynamic, welcoming, and sustainable facility for the community,” said George Bitsakakis, project principal for Stantec. “We believe that facility design plays a vital role in optimizing patient care and clinical services while creating positive spaces for patients, staff, and the neighboring community. We’re excited to continue our work with THP to support the health and well-being of the community.”
As part of the redevelopment at Queensway, Stantec is also designing minor renovations to the existing hospital. A new central utility plant provides services to the new tower. In addition to the firm’s work at the Queensway campus, Stantec is providing planning, design, and conformance (PDC) services for THP’s new Mississauga Hospital project. The expanded hospital will significantly increase bed capacity and will modernize the delivery of healthcare. It will improve access to specialized health services for the largest hospital in the province.
The Queensway Health Centre is one of several major healthcare projects Stantec has designed in Ontario in recent years, including Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital’s new 1.2 million-square-foot facility, Cambridge Memorial Hospital’s new patient care wing, Brockville General Hospital’s Phase II Redevelopment Project, and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Phase 1C Redevelopment. Through the power of design, Stantec is advancing health and wellness worldwide and increasing access to critical health services for everyone in the province.