BRAMPTON CIVIC HOSPITAL

BRAMPTON CIVIC HOSPITAL

Our winning entry for The Brampton Civic Hospital competition is now part of the largest health care facility within the William Osler Health Centre District and the third largest hospital to be built in Canada. Using a “horizontal hospital” typology, this example of modern institutional architecture grows from the low two-storey brick suburban context of northern Brampton.

Composed of three buildings – the treatment diagnostic centre, inpatient building and central utility plant/parking deck – this facility offers pedestrian and vehicular access from all points of the site. Internally organized with an encompassing ring road, this vehicular circuit provides access to all buildings from anyone of the site’s multiple entry points.

Merging the terms “high tech” and “high touch” in an attempt to capture “state-of-the-art technology” and “care-giving” as the best attributes 21st Century hospitals can offer, the building is designed using highly transparent light, glassy architecture (“high tech”) and smooth, earth-toned, garden-inspired, textured precast concrete panels (“high touch”). When combined, these elements, along with ample outdoor landscaping, have resulted in a highly approachable, patient-friendly hospital.

To entice convalescent patients to aid in their own recovery by taking walks in the fresh air, horizontal walking surfaces such as courtyards, terraces at storm water management ponds and areas next to surface parking lots were designed to be walkable, visually appealing paths, with an abundance of native plant material and benches to allow for repose when necessary.

Contrasting with the building’s predominantly heavy precast concrete facades are light fabric architectural entrances. Through the use of back-lighting, these fabric entrances glow at night, giving clear prominence for ease of patient and guest use, while visually alluding to this primarily East Indian community, with their silky, flowing, traditional fabric dress.

LOCATION: Brampton, Ontario
(Part of the William Osler Health Centre District)

ARCHITECT: Parkin Associates Ltd.
in joint venture with Adamson Associates Architects

DESIGN LEADERSHIP: Michael Poitras,
Partner-in-Charge of Design, Adamson

COMPETITION: Private/Public Partnership (P3) – First Place

CLIENT: Healthcare Infrastructure Company of Canada

STATISTICS:

  • Treatment Diagnostic Centre: 3 storeys
  • Inpatient Buildings: 6 storeys
  • Central Utility Plant/Parking Decks: 7 storeys
  • Total floor area:
    1,300,000 ft2 (120,774 m2)
  • Parking: 2,560 (including a 7-storey screened parking deck)

MATERIALS:

  • Smooth buff precast concrete
  • Textured grey/green precast concrete
  • Silver prefinished metal panels
  • Curtain wall
  • Window wall
  • Fabric entrance canopies
  • Concrete pathways and forecourts
  • Outdoor landscaping

GENERAL PROGRAM:

  • 18 operating rooms
  • 37 departments
  • 610 acute care beds
  • Loading docks: 8
  • Ambulance Bays: 10 (designed to be used as triage space during large disasters)

CAPACITY: (per year)

  • Emergency: 90,000
  • Ambulatory care: 160,000
  • Births: 4,250

COST: $550 million

COMPLETION: 2007