Photos : Stéphane Groleau
ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS roofing , they help reduce operating costs over the long term . Moreover , vegetation planted on rooftops provides excellent ecological services : it helps protect biodiversity , mitigates noise and heat islands , retains rainwater , improves air quality and captures greenhouse gases .
Several other architectural decisions contributed to the creation of a high-quality healing environment and the building ’ s energy efficiency , such as the creation of the inner courtyard , which maximizes the number of spaces with access to natural light ; the application of a silkscreen to windows , which exploits changing light over the course of the day to recreate conditions similar to those found in nature ; and the presence of a large central stairway that encourages active movement and reduces elevator traffic .
It should also be noted that the great complexity of the program for a centre of this size and its connections to other parts of the new hospital complex required both expertise in specialized disciplines and the agility needed to design extremely high-quality architecture with very numerous parameters . Thanks to the support of the institution and its medical staff , a series of decisions led to the design of an environment that helps reduce anxiety and promotes well-being , supporting patients in their battle with cancer .
www . jlp . ca / en /
A COMPLEX PROJECT
“ One of the biggest challenges in designing the largest cancer treatment centre in Quebec was certainly the construction context . A very large team that included some 50 architectural professionals had to work together effectively to reach a common goal ,” said Anne-Marie Blais , an architect and partner with Groupe A / Annexe U and assistant project manager for the new hospital complex . Working with the institution , project manager , engineering team and numerous specialized consultants , the project was run in accelerated mode in order to meet the delivery deadline , determined by clinical requirements . “ Accelerated mode requires a great deal of agility among the teams , given the overlap between the design and construction phases .” The project team not only met the challenge of designing the new specialized centre , it also laid the foundations for the subsequent design of all the other clinical buildings in the new hospital complex . The implementation of the BIM ( Building Information Modelling ) process and its tools from the first sketches onward contributed significantly to the optimization of the consultation workshops with clinicians and the efficient development of plans and specifications for the construction phase .
PAGE 35 - ARCHETECH