The Future of Healing

SickKids Patient Support Centre

Project Photos

Our design for the new 22-storey Patient Support Centre (PSC) located on The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) campus includes an undulating façade, a centrepiece blue ribbon staircase encased in glass, and interdisciplinary education and simulation spaces that will bring physicians, nurses, hospital administration and Foundation employees together in a light-filled environment.

A café and retail atrium at the ground level opens up the corner of Elizabeth and Elm streets and activates the public realm, creating a new social hub and destination for the surrounding community. The PSC is home to the SickKids Learning Institute, which supports over 1,000 world-class trainees, students and learners annually. The facility also includes a state-of-the-art Simulation Centre for hands-on teaching for clinicians, professionals, management and support staff. An enclosed pedestrian bridge establishes an integral link on the SickKids campus, connecting the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning (PGCRL) and the hospital’s main atrium.

We designed the tower’s facade with a significant degree of transparency to foster increased connectivity between SickKids and the community. A series of colored horizontal fins further animates the pedestrian experience while providing shading and optimizing thermal performance. The tower’s scale and height directly relate to its surrounding campus context and the city at large while maintaining its own distinct presence.

The design celebrates the innovative research culture of the hospital by providing strong visual connections to the PGCRL, emphasizing critical links between bench and bedside. Clinicians and staff will be able to look out the window and see their colleagues doing research next door.

The PSC will be the first project to comply with Toronto’s ­Tier 2 Building Standards. Terraced green roofs contribute to the building’s sustainability and offer physicians and hospital staff further opportunities to engage with the city.

Sick Kids oct2023 (06)
Sick Kids oct2023 (24)