Towering 21 storeys above ground level at Bay and Elm streets, the new Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning will be a hub where researchers and learners can congregate and share ideas to transform the current state of child health care. Standing as a testament to the past, present and future scientific achievements of SickKids Hospital, the tower will be an architectural landmark joining the list of major projects developed by star architects.

Since its beginnings in 1954, the SickKids Research Institute has grown into one of North America’s largest and most productive hospital-based research centres. Currently situated across six different locations, the Institute has 260 principal investigators and almost 2,000 staff working on more than 2,000 funded research projects and 2,400 clinical trials in children’s health. To have maximum impact, the scientists and clinician-scientists need to be under one roof in a state-of-the-art facility.

Equally important is learning. It's going on everywhere - from nursing and medicine, to chaplaincy and biomedical engineering. SickKids needs to develop innovative ways of bringing new knowledge into practice to provide the best care for sick children.

Designed by award-winning architects, Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. with HDR Inc., the new 750,000 square-foot facility will accommodate the most specialized research and learning needs. The different areas of research will be reflected in six neighbourhoods of science that are connected through staircases and shared spaces to encourage cross-collaboration.

High-tech facilities and equipment will support research discoveries, while at street level shops and restaurants will contribute to city life. Open areas and gathering spots, including meeting rooms, a 250-seat auditorium and a tele-education room, will allow SickKids professionals across disciplines to collaborate, share information and ideas. There will be two levels of underground parking as well as secure bicycle racks.

Innovation in reduced energy and resource consumption combined with creative space and site planning will reinforce leadership of SickKids in providing a sustainable and healthy environment. The Research & Learning Tower has been designed to achieve LEED® Gold Certification, the second highest level of the rigorous qualifications developed by the Canadian and U.S. Green Building Council.

When completed in 2013, the Research & Learning Tower will be a beacon in Toronto’s Discovery District and a magnet for the best and brightest child health professionals around the world.