Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

The first time our office used wood extensively in a health facility was in our design of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC). It foregrounds the distinctive culture and heritage of the forestry and pulp and paper industries which at the time were the region’s main employers. The choice of wood was also a nod to the historical importance of the railway to Thunder Bay.

When the TBRHSC was designed, the prevailing question in hospital architecture was, somewhat perversely, whether to make a hospital feel more like a hotel or an academic campus. We rejected both options and chose instead to consider the real human feelings that would be experienced here. As a result, we decided that the design needed to exude self-confidence and a sense of abundance. It should also offer hope and be engaging and health-centric.

The plan is organized in a simple T-shape, with the bottom of the T facing south. Thunder Bay is in a northern location with very limited daylight in the winter months. So, we gently curved the main east-west circulation route to follow the path of the sun. This ensure that all public areas are bathed in natural light, no matter the season. We deliberately designed the building to orient itself to the outside – to the natural environment, gardens, terraces, walking paths, and a larger park system that connects to the nearby river – for a local population that very much embraces an outdoor lifestyle.