Runnymede Hospital rebuild

[Martin in the Junction]

Nice pictures!

This project is a nice improvement to the Junction but more from an employment and service aspect than an architectural. Hopefully this development (and the proposed retirement home at 3385 Dundas) will spur some nice conversion of the buildings on Dundas to doctor and physio offices.

It’s hard to find plans for this site but from what I did find the original building is being taken down for a parking lot. With 200 day staff and out patients I think they had little choice and no budget for sufficient underground parking.

 

[Jarrek]

Nice pictures!

This project is a nice improvement to the Junction but more from an employment and service aspect than an architectural. Hopefully this development (and the proposed retirement home at 3385 Dundas) will spur some nice conversion of the buildings on Dundas to doctor and physio offices.

It’s hard to find plans for this site but from what I did find the original building is being taken down for a parking lot. With 200 day staff and out patients I think they had little choice and no budget for sufficient underground parking.

Which considering what was there before, the new hospital will not front the street.

 

[Towered]

 

[junctionist]

The hospital is nearly finished as the photos show. If you're on Dundas, you see its huge mechanical structure on the roof, clad with uninspiring grey panels. The mechanical box looms in an ugly manner over the streetscape. The architect didn't address the neighbourhood context of the building well enough.

 

[Observer Walt]

Agreed, I have noticed that as well in travelling along Dundas. I wonder if some way could not have been found to minimize the mechanicals on the roof, which seem huge in relation to the overall size of the place.

Otherwise, it seems nice. It is so good to see a generous use of red brick, particularly in this red brick neighbourhood. One of my pet peeves, with so much of our new construction in this city, is the very strange reluctance to use red brick, which speaks so much of the existing city. It's not as if it has to be imported from great distances!

 

[W. K. Lis]

Baby boomers will need them in a couple of decades

In a couple of decades, if not sooner, the baby boomers will require more of the long term health care centres and senior residencies. As well, most will want them in the inner city and not in the outer suburbs (unless within walker distance). How many times will they reapply to renew their driver's licenses after age 80, before they get tired of reapplying?

 

[Observer Walt]

It depends to some extent on who the occupants are. Long Term Care facilities used to be known as "nursing homes" and tend to house people who will not be driving in any case, or perhaps not even walking. But some facilities are simply "residences", and absolutely should be positioned in locations close to most amenities and transit. On or very close to major commercial streets would probably be best.

 

[Toronto - West]

According to the city councillor for that area, the old hospital will be torn down and replaced with a parking lot, instead of green space. Apparently the city feels that the benefit of maintaining the area's green space is not worth the cost of underground parking.

 

[Observer Walt]

According to the city councillor for that area, the old hospital will be torn down and replaced with a parking lot, instead of green space. Apparently the city feels that the benefit of maintaining the area's green space is not worth the cost of underground parking.

In fairness to the city, it's not really a decision they would be making. Remember that underground parking isn't cheap, and if it were to be provided, it would end up being a hefty part of the budget here. Health dollars are limited, and I for one would prefer to see them spent otherwise (yes I know how silly that sounds in view of recent news reports ).

 

[urbandreamer]

26 Jan 2010: shameful destruction continues...

 

[adma]

Are they salvaging the portico or anything like it? (More because it'd be a shame to waste.)

 

[Towered]

This really should be in the "heritage crimes of the week" thread - I honestly can't believe the city allowed this.

 

[junctionist]

The building wasn't impressive. The architectural features seemed tacked on, especially the portico (which was attractive by itself but not in tune with the rest of the building). It was formerly a school, but in close proximity there are several grander schools built at roughly the same time.

The sad part is that a surface parking lot is going to be replacing it, which will be an ugly open void on an otherwise attractive residential street. Maybe if the landscaping is decent it won't be too bad. But ultimately, projects like the new Runnymede Hospital make me concerned about Infrastructure Ontario handling the West Don Lands. This project is unremarkable at best, and sloppy at worst considering its insensitivity to the neighbourhood context I mentioned above in this thread.