The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) has selected Bridgepoint Active Healthcare in Toronto for a 2015 AIA National Healthcare Design Award. It is the single winner in the category of Built Project over $25 million in construction cost.
Bridgepoint addresses the needs of those coping with complex chronic disease. The design gives architectural expression to the salutogenic approach to healthcare – one that connects with a person’s sense of physical and emotional well being – by providing access to nature and an abundance of natural light and views. From animated public spaces to intimate private ones, Bridgepoint embraces community and landscape.
Says Greg Colucci, principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects, “The distinction between public and private space has been deliberately blurred to support community engagement and patient access to nature.”
In the words of the AAH jury, “This building optimizes its expansive views and an abundance of natural light to create an uplifting and restorative environment for patients and staff. The plan is clearly laid out, with strategically placed lounges and common spaces. The rooftop public garden and seating area is a great amenity for patients and staff which completes the facility’s strong connection to its natural setting.”
A third-party post-occupancy study validates the design intent as experienced by patients and staff. This assessment of the qualitative aspects of the hospital design by its users is unique for a Canadian healthcare facility.
The jury also commented on the restoration and incorporation of the adjacent historic Don Jail (1864) as part of Bridgepoint: “By renovating the site’s former jail into administrative offices, the design connects the facility to the history of the site and enriches the entire complex.”
Bridgepoint Active Healthcare is a collaborative design undertaking. Stantec Architecture/KPMB Architects acted as Planning, Design and Compliance Architects and HDR Architecture/Diamond Schmitt Architects are the architects to the Design, Build, Finance and Maintain consortium responsible for the design as constructed and are the Architects of Record. Previous recognition for the LEED Silver certified facility includes a Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Award in the Institutional Category, a Design Excellence Award from the Ontario Architects Association, and a Heritage Canada Adaptive Reuse Award.
ALL ABOUT DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS
Diamond Schmitt Architects is a leading full-service architectural firm based in Toronto with an international reputation for design excellence and sustainable design solutions. An extensive portfolio includes work completed for the healthcare sector, with life science facilities, research laboratories and hospitals. Equally extensive is work completed for academic buildings, libraries, performing arts centres, sports facilities, master plans, residential and commercial buildings. Current healthcare projects include Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness in Brampton, ON, and the expansion of Medicine Hat Regional Hospital in Alberta.
For more info, visit www.dsai.ca