September 14, 2022 (Toronto, ON) – The Patient Support Centre [NS1] (PSC), a critical component in of The Hospital for Sick Children’s (SickKids) vision for the pediatric hospital of the future is one step closer to completion.

This week, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto), SickKids and B+H Architects celebrated the topping off of the new PSC with a beam signing ceremony.  

“We are incredibly proud to be celebrating this monumental moment alongside SickKids, SickKids Foundation, our partners and the hundreds of tradespeople who have been integral in bringing this project to life,” says Monique Buckberger, vice president and district manager of PCL Toronto. “Topping off the Patient Support Centre is much more than a construction milestone. It is a representation of each team member’s personal connection to SickKids, as well as our shared passion and drive for delivering this impactful project for the community.” 

The PSC will be a modern, wellness-focused 22-storey education, training and administrative hub for over 3,000 professionals, management and support staff. Supporting over 1,000 world-class trainees, students and learners annually, the PSC will house the SickKids Learning Institute and a simulation centre for hands-on teaching.

“We’ve been on this journey for many months now and are so excited to see the first phase of Project Horizon becoming a reality. Floor by floor, pane of glass by pane of glass, we are finally seeing the future of SickKids come to life. We’re thrilled to take this next step to transform the campus and are excited to open the doors of this modern building to our staff, patients and families in 2023,” said Peter Goldthorpe, vice president, transformation for The Hospital for Sick Children.

Prior to the structure’s topping off, the surrounding community has already begun to see exciting changes on site including the successful removal of the south tower crane and the start of the roof structure steel. This summer, the steel erection for the pedestrian bridge connecting the hospital’s Atrium building to the PSC was completed.

Already a world-renowned healthcare facility that has provided life-changing care to many patients and families, SickKids is striving to build a new hospital campus that will enable the transformation of the level of care their patients receive. The PSC is kicking off the full campus redevelopment, Project Horizon, that aims to create an inspired hospital of the future. The renewed campus will eventually include two new towers to provide acute care, core clinical services and outpatient services.

"Working alongside SickKids to create a forward-looking environment that is firmly rooted in its community and a distinct new addition to Toronto’s urban fabric was an immensely rewarding experience," says Patrick Fejer, CEO at B+H. "It was critical to SickKids that considerations for staff and learner wellness were integrated into every design decision from the outset. Too often in workplace design, these needs are put secondary, but with the new PSC, we want to demonstrate that when you prioritize the wellbeing of the end user, they are empowered to do their best work.” 

To learn more about how we celebrated the topping off of the PSC, watch this video.

Did you know that:

·         PCL took control of the PSC site 1,351 days ago and officially broke ground October 2019?

·         During the two years of structural construction, approximately 25,000 cubic metres of concrete, enough to build a standard sidewalk between SickKids and Peterborough, was utilized on the PSC?

·         Approximately 2,230 metric tonnes of rebar was utilized for the building’s structure, which is equivalent to the weight of 318 elephants?

Project Team:

  • Owner: The Hospital for Sick Children
  • Design Firm: B+H Architects
  • Vertical Transportation Consultant: KJA Consultants
  • Structural Engineer: Entuitive
  • Mechanical Contractor: The Mitchell Partnership
  • Electrical Contractor: Mulvey & Banani

 

About PCL Construction

PCL is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and Australia. These diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets are supported by a strategic presence in more than 30 major centers. Together, these companies have an annual construction volume of more than $8 billion, making PCL the largest contracting organization in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Watch us build at www.pcl.com.