Six storey expansion and major renovation of the long term care unit of the Hospital, to meet MSSS’s functional and security standards. This involved inclusion of reception, administration, staff, living quarters, food services, community room, medical care, drugstore, therapeutic bath room, rehabilitation and support facilities. We also provided upgrades to meet all fire safety regulations. The project was done in several phases in order to prevent interruption of  the hospital’s activities and services. 

Our main preoccupation was to create an interior environment with the scale and ambiance of a home, while respecting the constraints of the existing building. A stimulating environment is required for persons affected with autonomy loss or cognitive deficiencies, and with this in mind, we favoured natural lighting, allowed visual contact with neighbourhood activity and chose materials and colours going beyond institutional looks. By integrating glazed partitions between the reception, dining area and main circulation core, the project maximizes natural light penetration within all interior public spaces. At the end of the west wing corridors, the ceiling height is raised to increase the view of the “main window to the city”, giving an interesting view of the very animated intersection of René-Levesque Boulevard and St-Laurent Street  to each living unit. To break the scale and the institutional feeling of a long corridor, care was put into the entrance to each room in order to accentuate the individuality of the residents and to create a promenade with a colourful rhythm.  Every door is accentuated by a raised ceiling lit with a skylight, reflected on the floor by a change in the linoleum colour to mark the entrance into each apartment. The skylight is repeated at a larger scale at the core where the central circulation and reception area are marked by a  luminous ceiling. The project uses natural wood doors, built-in furniture and handrails and a cheery colour palette to bring domestic qualities to an institutional environment.