Project category: Addition (completed April 2004)

Chief administrator: Ken Tremblay, President and CEO, (519) 352-6400

Firm: Dunlop Architects, Inc., (416) 596-6666

Design team: Norman Crone, Project Principal; Michael Moxam, Design Principal; George Bitsakakis, Health Care Planning Principal; Ross Boyle, Construction Administration Principal; Joseph Troppmann, Design Architect

Photography:http://www.interiorimages.ca

Total building area (sq. ft.): 140,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $271 (Canadian)

Total cost (excluding land): $38,000,000 (Canadian)

This project colocates the Public General Hospital (PGH) and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham, Ontario, into a single full-service healthcare facility on the existing PGH campus. The design examines the hospital as a significant public building, representative of the open and accessible nature of the Canadian healthcare system. In the process, it creates a strong connection to the community and to the beautiful riverfront site, which was largely ignored by the existing structures.

The new St. Joseph’s Wing creates connections to the community and site by establishing strong interior/exterior relationships, developed through massing, spatial organization, and detailing. A new main entrance and lobby give identity to the newly colocated hospitals and provide a connective spine between the two facilities. The lobby orients visitors and connects to the primary circulation, a curved public street along the river at the main level. The space between the river and the hospital is transformed into a landscaped space for the enjoyment of patients, families, and the community.

The upper levels of the hospital further develop the strong connection to exterior space. Inpatient rooms feature low windowsills and sections of ceiling-to-floor glazing, enabling bedridden patients to visually connect to their surroundings. Dialysis and Rehabilitation are located on the riverside to offer patients with more frequent and longer appointments access to a positive distraction and view. Patient privacy and dignity were paramount in the interior planning; separate circulation corridors and waiting areas are provided for inpatients and the general public throughout the hospital.