Holland Bloorview is a world-class teaching hospital dedicated to the rehabilitation and complex continuing care of children and youth. Its multi award-winning building is the largest of its kind in Canada and widely lauded as a positive alternative to the conventional institutional environment.

Design solutions are suggestive of the extensive negotiation undertaken between site conditions, operational considerations and accessibility criteria. The building program is distributed over seven stories, reducing travel distances while maximizing views to the adjacent ravine. Public spaces, such as the cafeteria, conference centre and resource room, serve a wide range of daily functions and events. Inpatient units, each with common dining, kitchen, lounge area and outdoor terrace access, are designed within a continuous grid system to enable future space reorganization. Additional features include an integrated elementary school, recreational and therapy pools, a playground, a conference centre, a hotel and a series of community spaces. Although the many clinical functions of this facility demanded specific approaches to planning, the design privileges warm, textured, spaces with ample natural light, scenic views outdoors, and intuitive wayfinding. These spaces are designed to create a warm, welcoming, normalized settings for children, families and staff.

Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Bloorview also accommodates laboratories and engineering workshops onsite, supporting a seamless integration of cutting-edge research and teaching with frontline care to improve children’s quality of life. Pioneering treatments, technologies and therapies along with specialized programs and amenities offer children and youth the opportunity to participate in life to the fullest.

Montgomery Sisam in joint venture with Stantec Architecture