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A PR IL 2019 | 65 Stanton Territorial Hospital PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY KASIAN ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN AND PLANNING LTD.; COURTESY THE GOVERNMENT OF NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Stanton Territorial Hospital by ROBIN BRUNET H ospital upgrades in urban areas are becoming more badly needed than ever, and the urgency inten- sifies in remote locations where aging infrastructure combined with increasing demands linked to shifting population demographics can poten- tially impact health care delivery. This is the case in Yellowknife and sur- rounding regions, which have been served by Stanton Territorial Hospital for the past three decades. First opened in 1988, Stanton Territorial Hospital by 2012 required extensive infrastructure work, and Gloria Badari, executive direc- tor, Stanton Hospital Renewal at Northwest Territories Health & Social Services Authority, says that based on population projections, it also needed to be expanded. While a new building was not originally considered, Badari says that, "When we put out an RFP for design, one of the candidates – Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning, proposed to build an entirely new facility instead – this option provided a benefit of one move ver- sus numerous that would come with a major renovation to an operat- ing building. This proposal also put forward a fast-track design and con- struction schedule." A P3 procurement model was decided upon for the project and structured between the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and Boreal Health Partnership, a consortium consisting of Carillion Canada Inc., Hochtief PPP Solutions North America Inc., and Bird Capital Limited as the equity providers; Bird Design-Build Construction Inc., Clark Builders Ltd., and Kasian were named the design-builders. Badari credits a frequent series of meetings between her group and Kasian for keeping a complex proj- ect on schedule. Structurally, Kasian designed the new building to consist of a two-storey podium and a three- storey inpatient tower, constructed predominantly of steel with a punch window facade. The building podium features a partially exposed ground level along with a fully exposed two upper levels. The podium works to blend in with the low-rise scale of the community to the south and integrates into the surrounding character of the neighbourhood, bringing the archi- tecture down to a human scale for patients and visitors. The patient tower stands out from a distance, establish- ing itself as a contemporary iconic landmark for the new facility in the heart of the medical campus. The freestanding wood entrance canopy, undulating lines of the land- scape, and architectural overhangs clearly create a visual cue and mark the primary entrance for the facility. The use of wood-like cladding creates a sense of warmth and tranquility upon arrival, while a three-storey feature copper coloured panel set in the cur- tain wall reflects the cultural heritage and mining history of the peoples of the Northwest Territories (NWT). 8:11 AM

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