Award

M A R C H 2 0 2 4 | 65 Anishnawbe Health Toronto Indigenous Community Health Centre R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E S Y A N I S H N AW B E H E A LT H TO RO N TO ANISHNAWBE HEALTH TORONTO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE by ROBIN BRUNET T he new Anishnawbe Health Toronto Indigenous Community Health Centre (AHTICHC), is a key project on the site of a new 2.4-acre Indigenous community hub, a mixed- use city-block cluster consisting of the four-storey AHTICHC, a five-sto- rey training centre for Miziwe Biik, and two 13-storey and 11-storey resi- dential rental apartment buildings. Designed by BDP Quadrangle, Stantec, ER A, and Two Row Architect, the complex is one of the first mixed- use, purpose-built Indigenous Hubs in the country and the first in Ontario. BDP led the design; Stantec and Two Row focused on the AHTICHC build- ing, and ER A Architects presided over the restoration of the Canary building. Joe Hester, chief director of Anishnawbe Health Toronto, says, "This project is the culmination of more than 20 years of planning and, quite frankly, an uphill bat- tle for the integration of our health care, with architectural expres- sion through an Indigenous lens." Anishnawbe Health Toronto estab- lished its first permanent home in 1989, but its facilities were soon out- dated and overcrowded, and the organization began making sub- missions for an integrated hub in 2000. "We eventually purchased land in the West Don area from the province that was part of the 2015 PanAm/ParaPanAm Games Athletes' Village," Hester says. "This is adja- cent to the Distillery District and the new Cherry Streetcar line, and it helped kickstart our project." During an extensive engagement process with Toronto's Indigenous peoples including service providers, residents, and aboriginal businesses, initial plans evolved from the pro- vision of an aboriginal community health centre to a larger hub con- cept. Stantec collaborated with BDP Quadrangle and Two Row Architect on the master plan, which features a public piazza at the corner of Mill and Cherry streets as well as a cen- tral landscaped courtyard fully visible from the surrounding street edges. Hester says, "Designing through an Indigenous lens meant rethink- ing basic concepts. For example, circular forms are prevalent through- out our culture, so why not use that for offices spaces instead of squares or rectangles? Also, we pushed for the AHTICHC building to rest directly on the land rather than hav- ing a parking lot underneath." For the 44,000-square-foot facility, Stantec created an exterior cladding of perforated aluminum panels that curves and folds like an Indigenous woven shawl, with stainless steel mesh suspended from the bottom edge that sways in the breeze. The façade to the east opens to a four-sto- rey atrium that organizes the facility's clinical spaces and connects to a land- scaped courtyard, where a bioswale collects rainwater for irrigation. Key programs on the ground floor – ceremonial space, traditional healer, and the community kitchen – are established as standalone pavil- ions inspired by pebbles in the stream of the Don River delta. The elevated central courtyard serves several purposes, including concealing ser- vices and support spaces as well as being an amenity for the surround- ing residential portion of the hub. Stantec embraced natural forms whenever possible: the pavilions on the ground floor and the shape of the floor plates from level two to four. All of these took on cur- vilinear forms. The spaces for the Traditional Healer on levels two, three, and four are curved. This is expressed in the exterior as a Corten-clad cylinder culminating in the entry vestibule at street level. Interior glass panels display artwork and patterns reflecting Indigenous culture, while a cen- tral red staircase was inspired by 'the red road,' an Indigenous meta- phor for making wise choices and taking the right path in life. Harbridge + Cross Limited broke ground on the AHTICHC building in August of 2021, and while the proj- ect was challenged by supply chain slowdowns and other outcomes of the COVID lockdowns, Hester says "the site is taking shape, and every- thing is tying in nicely with our approach to building community." As of February, the AHTICHC building was nearing completion, and Hester and his colleagues were anticipating occupancy in the spring. "Overall, the site will be a gather- ing place for the Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and sup- port the reclamation of culture and identity," he says. "Plus, lease agree- ments with development partners will guide and support the Hub forward for seven generations and more." A LOCATION 425 Cherry Street, Toronto, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Anishnawbe Health Toronto ARCHITECTS Stantec / BDP Quadrangle / Two Row Architect / ERA Architects Inc. GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Harbridge + Cross Limited STRUCTUR AL /MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL /CIVIL /INTERIOR DESIGN/ L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Stantec TOTAL SIZE 44,000 square feet TOTAL COST $33.6 million

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