A Living Lab for the power of design quality to heal body, mind and soul

This project is as much about city building as it is about creating a mixed-use healthcare precinct. It realizes a 10-year master plan vision to create a campus for wellness and prevention. The site is organized into a 9-square grid with the historic Don Jail occupying the central square and the hospital located on the northwest edge. The dark history of the Jail is transmuted through its adaptive reuse as an administrative/research centre.

The therapeutic benefits of Nature are optimized with visual and physical connections to the Don River Valley, Riverdale Park, the downtown skyline, and the Riverdale neighbourhood. The podium of the hospital and main floor of the jail are conceptualized as a publicly accessible “urban porch” with access to terraces, courtyards and a meditative labyrinth. The hospital is conceived as a series of vertical neighbourhoods, culminating in a rooftop terrace with a garden and expansive views of Toronto in all directions.

“The redevelopment of our site will not only provide us with a state-of-the-art hospital, but will also enable us to create a ‘Village of Care.’”

– Bridgepoint Health, Vision 2005/2006