Bridgepoint Hospital Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The new Bridgepoint Hospital will be a 10-storey, 680,000 ft², state-of-the-art facility for the treatment of complex chronic diseases. The 472-bed facility will also include the Christine Sinclair Ambulatory Care Center and will be a new center of excellence for complex care learning and promotion. The new facility will relieve the congestion of the current, ageing building and provide an improved patient experience for generations to come.

A special feature of this project is the restoration and adaptive reuse of the old Don Jail, a 5-level, 84,000 sq ft architectural landmark and heritage site in the heart of Toronto, which will house the hospital's new administrative building, as well as education, and support facilities.

The project also includes the demolition of the existing hospital, a clinic building and the Toronto Prison, and subsequent redevelopment of the street and landscapes. Once constructed, Plenary Health will be responsible for providing hard and some ancillary facility management services at the new hospital and renovated Don Jail.

"The Plenary Health team was thoughtful, professional, and very engaged throughout the process. You also added creative energy and challenged us to rethink some important elements of the project. Because of all of those things, and because of the relationship that we developed with you through the RFP, we are delighted to have you as partners."

Marian Walsh, President & CEO, Bridgepoint Health

Project Facts

Plenary Group is the project sponsor, equity investor and financial arranger for the project.

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Client: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care / Bridgepoint Health
Size: 680,000 ft²
Value (NPV): $622 million
Builder: PCL Constructors Canada
Architect: HDR Architecture Associates, Inc / Diamond Schmitt
Services: Johnson Controls
Financial Close: August 2009
Completion Date: March 2013
Contract Terms: 33.5 years, Design-Build-Finance-Maintain
Awards: ReNew Canada Top 100 Projects 2011, Canadian Architect Award of Excellence 2008

Design Features

Historic Don Jail

Through the renovations of the facility, the exterior of the Jail (originally built in 1864) will be preserved and linked to the new hospital by a modern glass bridge. On the interior, the main focal point of the building, the rotunda, will be restored to its original architectural beauty. The glass floor will be uncovered and restored, and the skylight, which was tiled over, will be re-exposed allowing natural light to pour into the rotunda.

To communicate the significance and heritage value of the historic Don Jail building, interpretive displays and educational devices will be prominently located within the building. These may include photographic and textual interpretive displays of actual artifacts retrieved from the building or site. These elements will be prominently displayed at the building's main entrance and throughout the interior of the building.

Green Design

The new hospital will achieve LEED® certification and will incorporate the following environmentally-friendly features: storm-water runoff from the roof will be used for landscape irrigation; the use of potable water will be reduced by 20%; preferred parking will be provided for carpools; the design will reduce energy use by 29% and maximize use of natural light; and 75% of construction waste will be diverted from landfills through a recycling and salvage program.

Energy conservation efforts include: high efficiency equipment; low flow fixtures, heat recovery on air handling units and flue gases; and cistern for rain water re-use.

Innovations

Late in the RFP process, responsibility for achieving site plan approval (“SPA”) was transferred to Project Co. Because of the heritage status of the Don Jail, the approvals requirements were complicated and required a significant amount of analysis to ensure a complete understanding of Project Co's obligations (timing and nature of task). Plenary worked through all the documentation provided by the client in a short period of time and developed a clear and comprehensive responsibility matrix to guide the team through the RFP period and into delivery.

The RFP phase for this project concluded in the wake of the global financial crisis and financial markets were still very unsettled. Plenary worked with its financial advisor to structure a fully committed funding solution for the Project and developed commercial agreements with its consortium partners to a significant degree to allow for a fast Financial Close. Plenary developed a detailed Financial Close protocol that included a detailed plan and schedule for reaching Financial Close within 60 days of being named Preferred Proponent.

Local Economic Impacts

Job Creation

The construction project will be a significant boost to the local and provincial economies by directly and indirectly creating and supporting thousands of jobs. At the peak of construction, between 500 and 600 workers are expected to be on site daily. This number will fluctuate during the different phases of the project. The majority of the labour is being sourced from the Greater Toronto Area.

Philanthropy

Plenary Group's fundraising activities and corporate donations have also contributed to the Bridgepoint Health Foundation in support of the hospital's local share.

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