The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital

Trillium Health Partners’ historical redevelopment, The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital, is redefining a new urban centre focused on health. The approximately 2.8 million square foot, 950-bed acute hospital will nearly triple the size of the current hospital. The 22-storey tower orchestrates an overall health campus master plan, as the project design enhances community cohesion, embraces public transportation systems, and engages the public realm. The project is redefining healthcare for the Mississauga community. Design approach The brownfield site’s constraints required a vertical solution and presented unique design opportunities. The parti defines three key elements: Creating a strong streetscape connection at an important urban intersection, the lower podium provides urban connectivity and primary public realm access. Design transparency exemplifies clear and positive community connectivity from inside to out, as public access is enforced through the introduction of retail space, a vibrant multi-cultural marketplace, a multi-functional auditorium for public programs, and a welcoming civic plaza. Dedicated education space supports continuous learning for healthcare providers and is a new venue for public outreach. Additionally, a new public entrance provides connectivity to the light rail transit system and public transportation and provides clear and easy access to the hospital’s main public areas. An increased street presence seamlessly integrates the new hospital into the community's urban fabric. The upper podium is host to the hospital’s key clinical and diagnostic programs. The design provides a more effective footprint for complex functions and improves access and flow for patients, family, and staff. To bring daylight and views deep into the large floorplate, the podium is punctuated by four landscaped courtyards, effectively splitting the podium into four quadrants, and visually breaking down the building’s perceptual mass. The courtyards additionally promote contact with nature and direct interaction with the outdoors for patients and staff. Fully glazed, the inpatient tower creates a sense of lightness. Inside, visual connections to the outdoors are integrated with wayfinding to ensure users are always oriented to where they are, where they are going, and how to navigate the facility. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer ground-to-sky community views that contribute significantly to a patient’s healing process. Biophilic design elements anchor key public spaces, creating a welcoming environment focused on well-being. Positive community impacts, embodying social, economic, human, and environmental factors into the design. Serving beyond its function as a hospital; the new facility is also an important urban landmark and community hub reflecting Mississauga’s multicultural and vibrant nature. Serving one of Canada’s most diverse populations, the project is pursuing LEED v4 BD+C Healthcare Silver certification, is voluntarily implementing sustainable development measures from neighboring Toronto’s Green Standard design requirements and is pursuing an aggressively low energy performance target with low operational and embodied carbon. WELL Building Standards were also explored and applied as a framework for including features in the new hospital's design to support the health and well-being of care team members and patients. We are currently investigating the possibility of a geothermal field beneath the entire building footprint, unique for a health facility in Canada.