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J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 59 Lakeridge Gardens Long-Term Care Home R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y PA R K I N A RC H I T EC T S; P H OTO G R A P H Y BY I N DUS T RYO US P H OTO G R A P H Y/CO U RT E S Y P C L CO N S T RU C TO R S C A N A DA I N C . LAKERIDGE GARDENS LONG-TERM CARE HOME I t was quite the vision: to build a six-storey, 320-bed state-of-the- art long-term care home featuring a nine-station community dialy- sis clinic in just 13 months … and in the height of the pandemic, too. But thanks to amazing collaborative part- nerships and an innovative program, what may have been considered an unimaginable feat has been achieved. "All told, it was actually a year and a half between the project's incep- tion and construction completion, with residents moving in very shortly after," explains Bruce Gray, executive VP, project delivery, Infrastructure Ontario. "The Lakeridge Gardens project is an example of what can be achieved when innovation, mod- ern solutions, and great partnerships come together." Back in 2019, a report by the Premier's Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine showed the average wait time for a long-term care bed was 146 days. In response to this, the gov- ernment announced a commitment to build 30,000 net new long-term care beds over 10 years and redevelop existing, older homes to modern stan- dards. And so, the search was on for suitable locations. "After we heard that the Premier of Ontario wanted do the Accelerated Build Pilot Program, we approached them as we had vacant land adja- cent to Lakeridge Health's Ajax Pickering Hospital that we were looking to do something with. Of course, there was trepidation on my part when I heard of the time- line, but we were happy to be part of the program," says Mark Murphy, senior director at Lakeridge Health. To be able to pull off such a monu- mental task (condensing what would usually take four years down to 18 months in total) would require a highly experienced team. For that PCL, with their significant exper- tise with fast-track delivery, hospital design build and modular construc- tion methods, was selected, alongside Parkin Architects and G Architects. "The Accelerated Build Pilot Program was a big challenge, but one that we were really wired to take on," says Matt Galvin, partner-in-charge at G Architects. "We have experience in public-private partnerships and AFP projects, and we're also very much schedule and project management focussed. The speed of the construc- tion was at least double normal, but also the speed of the design and, more importantly, the approvals, were probably four times faster." PCL mobilized on site in December and work began in January. "We had two shifts running around the clock, but we were very strategic as the site is close to a residential neighbourhood and despite having the ability through the provincial Emergencies Act to work 24/7, it was essential to be a good partner in the community," says Andre Bohren, construction manager at PCL Constructors Canada Inc. Being located next to the hospital and heliport was also a major consid- eration when it came to scheduling and access, with the selection and co- ordination of a crawler crane proving essential to the successful operations of both the hospital and project. For the design of Lakeridge Gardens, one key consideration was to limit the number of stumbling blocks, and so the design and materials were chosen accordingly. "Design always comes from many different forms of constraints. The timeline dictated the material and so all the materials on the outside are metal products, with a wood look metal base to add a sense of warmth. We used a strategic place- ment of colour that is a simple and effective way to really break it up. It was important for us to make sure that our design principles weren't compro- mised over the course of this project. We didn't want just any building to be erected as fast as possible and then have it be an eyesore; we knew that it had to look like a home for residents and a place that people would feel well taken care of," says Galvin. Bohren adds that the modular construction chosen meant the fab- rication could be done mainly offsite while PCL and the subtrades could simultaneously place slabs and pull in the mechanical on the floors. Under the Accelerated Build Pilot Program, specific design improve- ments were required including semi-private and private rooms, larger resident common areas, and HVAC upgrades. "Rooms are grouped into 'resident home areas', each of which is capable of being divided into two smaller resident home areas. These infection control measures allow staff and support areas to decentralize shared spaces and function indepen- dently, while allowing the home to isolate residents and staff more easily," says Gray. Creating these smaller house- holds or "neighbourhoods" within the building creates a more intimate and familiar space for residents. "We also have to really think about mobil- ity challenges and so all the spaces are close together," says Galvin. LOCATION 680 Harwood Avenue S., Ajax, Ontario OWNER Lakeridge Health PROCUREMENT AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT Infrastructure Ontario ARCHITECTS G Architects / Parkin Architects DESIGN BUILD CONTR ACTOR PCL Constructors Canada Inc. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Entuitive MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL / ICAT CONSULTANT Quasar Consulting Group Inc. L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Ron Koudy Landscape Architects FOOD SERVICE CONSULTANT Kaizen Foodservice Planning and Design Inc. ACOUSTIC CONSULTANT Valcoustics Canada Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 273,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed by NATALIE BRUCKNER

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