Combining the Clinical Efficiencies of an Advanced Medical Facility with a Community / Social / Event Space
Ontario HIV Treatment Network / Health Hub
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Sector
Health & Wellness
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Location
Toronto, Ontario
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Client
Ontario HIV Treatment Network
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Size
9,268 sf / 861 sm
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Completion
2022
HQ Toronto is a welcoming holistic health centre in downtown where cisgender gay and bisexual men, and two-spirit, transgender, and non-binary people can receive comprehensive, person-centred services that support their health and well-being. Occupying more than 9,000 sq. ft. on the eighth floor of a heritage-designated building, this renovation/retrofit project is the first facility of its kind in Canada and positions the city as one of the leaders in this new model of holistic care.
All great designs tell a story. In telling this story, our challenge was to create a welcoming, nurturing, and supportive environment that speaks to a community, while addressing the highly specialized program and sophisticated technical and clinical needs befitting a leading-edge health centre. It was crucial to create highly functional technical spaces – complete with current expectations for accessibility and infection prevention and control – in a spatial environment that felt decidedly un-clinical.
Our design solution was to create a plan that was flexible, adaptable, and highly convertible – enabling the clinical programs to operate independently from the community, cultural, and event spaces. The program includes a mix of health clinic spaces, an express testing laboratory for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, mental and social health spaces, including private and group counseling rooms, five multi-use rooms that can be converted to accommodate a wide range of activities (e.g., teaching, seminars, smudging ceremonies, yoga classes, book clubs, poetry readings, social, and celebratory events, etc.), and communal and gathering spaces, including a curated revolving gallery celebrates LGBTQ2S+ culture through the display of art.
