It’s been six years to the day since the opening of The Hospital for Sick Children's Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at Bay and Elm in Downtown Toronto. To mark the 21-storey institutional building's 6th anniversary, Diamond Schmitt Architects—designers of the project—have released a three-part video series, each exploring a different aspect of the building's design by revisiting the now-active tower.

Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, image by Craig White

The project sets itself apart from other office and institutional towers with a strip of stacked multi-storey atriums, which define the tower's east elevation with an undulating projection (that glows by night, above) while providing spaces for researchers to relax and interact, and allowing for the collision of thoughts that sometimes spark new scientific advancements.

Atrium at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, image by Jack Landau

Below, the one-minute videos and descriptions are all courtesy of Diamond Schmitt Architects.

A High-rise Laboratory Designed for Interdisciplinary Research

Dr. Janet Rossant led The Hospital for Sick Children team in consolidating its research program in a building designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects. The design of the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning is remarkable for its ability to facilitate interdisciplinary research in a high-rise configuration and is located in downtown Toronto.

Designing for the Social Aspect of Research 

When Diamond Schmitt Architects designed the new research tower for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, creating space and opportunities to socialize and share ideas was paramount. Dr. Brent Derry describes how the design enables his research at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning to be social and interactive.

Designing Collaborative Space for Team Science

The Diamond Schmitt-designed research centre at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is described as "inspirational" by Chief of Research Dr. Michael Salter. Biomedical research is 'team science' and the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning facilitates collaboration and collegiality. Here’s how it’s done.

Let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of the page. You can also look back on images of the building and the construction of it in the linked Database file below, and its associated Forum thread.

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