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St. Joseph's Healthcare West 5th Campus by Robin Brunet photos: Bjorg Magnea architectural and interior photography T hanks to forensic pre-planning and the strong de- sign vision of senior healthcare management in conjunction with owners Infrastructure Ontario (IO), the new St. Joseph's Healthcare West 5th Campus in Hamilton, Ontario, was developed with a minimum of headaches and a maximum of design innovations. From its cavernous sun-drenched lobby to its cheer- ful patient rooms, St. Joseph's exemplifies the best attri- butes of modern hospitals. Intended to accommodate 305 mental health patients and people who require diagnostic imaging, diabetes treatment and other outpatient services, the 855,325-square-foot building was designed with human comfort in mind: over 70 per cent of the hospital has natural light and every patient gets their own room. Plenar y Health was charged with overseeing the design, construction and financing of St. Joseph's, as well as maintaining the facility for 30 years under a public private partnership arrangement. John McKendrick, executive VP at IO, notes, "The design of the new hospital was a key driver in generat- ing significant financial savings for the Province. Plenary Health's approach was unique. Their design innovation shrunk the overall building's size while still maintaining all the critical functionality required from staff and users." Early on in the project, St. Joseph's chief planning officer, Karen Langstaff, told the press that the new facility was being created in consultation with nurses, psychiatrists, social workers and other experts, and is intended to "change the face of mental health in the community." The prevailing idea was to try and integrate the hospital into the community instead of segregating it, "and that idea dictated the design," says David Sass, VP architecture for Cannon Design. "For example, one way we evolved the illus- trative design formulated by the Plenary Health team was to better position the new facility on site. We moved it to the southern portion of the property, with the front doors abut- ting Fennell and West 5. The street presence gives a more welcoming feel to the public. It also faces the front of Mohawk College across the road." Integration of medical care was a priority, hence the diagnostic imaging centre and other services being pub- licly oriented. "St. Joseph's was also to have a research and education component, so we ensured that these elements were located in highly-active visible zones within the facil- ity," says Sass, who credits IO for "going beyond just talking about integration and putting its money where its mouth is." Considerable exterior glazing and patient suites with access to either a courtyard or an elevated terrace are some of the unique elements of St. Joseph's, along with a communal galleria with a cafe, a hair salon, gym and wellness centres inside the locked sector where mental health patients reside. Essentially the hospital has a layered arrangement, the first layer being a t wo-storey entry hall that leads into a four-storey atrium. This front section is where the hospital hosts day clinics including those for diabetes, breast screening and diagnostic imaging. The next layer is the galleria which is open to the public. The rear and most private layer is where the in-patient mental health care rooms are located. The grounds will also be open to the public with trails, a tennis court, a soccer field and a baseball diamond to be built on the land where the old 450,000-square-foot hospital is located. By April of 2011, work on site included excavation of foundation footings and pouring of partial concrete slab on grade, as well as decanting of the old hospital's Auchmar B-Wing and its demolition. "That was tricky," says Sean Shabaga, construction manager for PCL Constructors Canada Inc. "In order to demolish about one-fifth of the old hospital, we first had to renovate other areas of it to accommodate patients and staff who would be moved out of the wing that was to be demolished." Shabaga adds: "We took a big risk going ahead with the footing and foundation without getting a sign-off on the final architectural design. In fact, everything about the project was phased, from design evolution and site plan approval to building permits. For- tunately, there were no major mishaps." By November of 2011, about half of the concrete for the new hospital had set; in total, St. Joseph's would boast as much concrete as Toronto's CN Tower. "There were two buildings of historical interest on site that we spent consider- able time trying, unsuccessfully, to find a new use for," says Shabaga. "Ultimately we took elements of these buildings, such as columns, stone entranceways and old millwork, and incorporated them into the new facility." April 2014 /67 St. Joseph's Healthcare West 5th Campus Do you have a project of interest to our readers? If you would like your project to be considered for a future issue of Award, please email: Dan Chapman, Publisher dchapman@canadawide.com AWD Project Filler 1/16 v. gs AWD Project Filler 1-16v. gs 6/3/08 3:22 PM Page 1 p66-69_StJosephes-Redvers.indd 67 14-04-03 9:09 AM