The Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent (CTC-CK) is a new 50,000-sf facility offering outpatient rehabilitation, respite, recreation and other specialty services to local children and youth with physical, developmental and or communications challenges. This facility, situated on a 6-acres lot, will replace the CTC-CK existing home less than half its size. The newly expanded building programme includes a pool, gymnasium, therapy and treatment spaces, outdoor recreational and respite areas, along with administrative spaces.

The building is a one-storey structure clad in brick and terra-cotta block and features a sloped roof condition in keeping with the local vernacular. Programme spaces are distributed across two parallel bars. The east bar houses almost exclusively therapeutic programme and treatment spaces while the west bar accommodates partnership, administration and support spaces. The bars are offset to accommodate, at one end, the arrivals court and main entrance, and at the other, an outdoor therapy space and playground. They interconnect by way of a shared core. The organization of spaces and the visibility key destinations are designed to draw interest and enhance wayfinding immediately upon entry. The core is conceived as the anchoring element and heart of the building plan. It is the main public access point and features an enclosed landscape courtyard. The courtyard is a quiet, contemplative space that works in complement with the bustling arrivals court and the playful, healing quality of the outdoor therapy space. It creates a positive distraction in both the reception and waiting areas, invites daylight and natural ventilation into the building core, and contributes to a more intuitive building layout.

The building scheme was derived from the practices and principles of inclusive design that recognizes everyone experiences the world differently and supporting agency, choice and sense of control are paramount. It also responds to the latest evidence base in children’s treatment and health facilities, supporting, among many things, telemedicine and a hybrid workforce, a collaborative and customizable care culture, simulation and other forms of skill building programs, sensory modulation and multi-sensory environments, healing arts programmes and integrated building installations, biophilic elements that promote connections to nature and access to high quality outdoor spaces, as well as community integration and outreach opportunities. Flexibility in the building’s structure, sections, and systems infrastructure will allow CTC-CK to recalibrate space easily and cost-effective to accommodate new and emerging trends and technologies in care over the building’s lifecycle.