Bridgepoint Hospital wins 2016 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture

Plenary Health’s Bridgepoint Hospital has won a 2016 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture, recognizing outstanding achievement by Canadian architects.

Plenary congratulates the entire Bridgepoint team, with particular recognition given to the Design-Build-Finance-Maintain architects: HDR architecture and Diamond Schmitt architects.

Bridgepoint is the first hospital in Toronto to receive a LEED Silver rating, but its sustainability extends beyond LEED to create an architecture of wellness that celebrates a sustainable healthcare system. The design optimizes the therapeutic benefits of nature for healing by emphasizing visual and physical access to the outdoors. Magnificent views of the Don River Valley and Riverdale Park, the downtown skyline, and the vibrant Riverdale neighbourhood – are all emphasized to connect patients to the community. Hospital rooms were designed to give every patient – whether sitting or lying down – an unobstructed view, both horizontally and vertically.

Jury comments:

This innovative healthcare project heals the city by revitalizing an historic jail site and linking patient spaces with nature and the city. This project is strong on connections: between present and past, hospital and city, patients and healthcare professionals. Unlike most health care facilities, the interior and exterior spaces join to promote health, with areas for outdoor meeting, retreating, and conversation.  Windows, fixtures, and spaces are scaled to the humans who occupy the facility. The former jail at the centre of the site opens onto public gathering space; connecting the grounds with the wider world. This project suggests many ways to address the often dehumanizing aspects of the traditional hospital experience, which the jury applauds. 

Read the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s news release here.