a feeling of somewhere else,” says Farrow. “It doesn’t evoke hospital. It plays to your senses.” The pool is a great example of an element ever-present in the project—a simple, natural palette of colours and materials like wood, brick and glass aimed at soothing the patients and keeping them rooted. It also creates a timeless aesthetic that won’t go out of style in a few years. Montgomery and Farrow also saw intangibles like natural light and the natural surroundings as part of the aesthetic palette and played with the way light and views would change during different times of day and through the seasons. Energy-efficient elements like LED lighting, energy recovery wheels in the air-handling units, and a building automation system that monitors energy usage throughout the wing— along with recycled steel, concrete, carpet, drywall and linoleum—also helped to keep costs down during and after construction. It’s a complex design in a number of ways. It’s no surprise that Montgomery and Farrow spent months exploring every inch of the existing space and educating themselves on the needs of the patients. While there were few—if any—envelope-pushing rehab hospitals they could visit to develop their design concept (particularly for such specific areas as the therapy pool), they did have one lucky break. Due to the slow timeline of the project—they began discussing the project in 2001 but didn’t start construction until 2010—they actually designed and built the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in the meantime, which afforded them some experience in the building type and helped them to further develop their approach to architecture in the health-care realm. “Architecture is that third element in the equation of healing,” says Farrow. “There’s what happens to you, the medical staff, and then what the environment can do to help as a healer. It’s part of the process.” Though it’s rarely in the brief that architecture can or should help evoke a sense of wellness, Montgomery and Farrow see it as a driver for the design. While the healthcare industry is often focused on the pathogenic side of things, where the central concern is the cause of the problem, Farrow sees merit in flipping that focus around to zone in on salutogenics, which concerns the causes of health. “You begin to really look and see how the building can actively cause health,” he says. “The environment has a massive impact on what makes TOP LEFT Double-height spaces are awash in natural daylight, avoiding the cloistered feel of many health-care institutions. LEFT Vast amounts of glazing are featured on the elevations facing the courtyard, providing a critical orient ing device for patients and a vital connection to the outside world.
16 canadian architect 10/12