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McMaster Health Sciences Centre

Project Details

Called “obsolescence-proof” by the World Hospital Congress, this ground-breaking complex was the first integrated patient-care, education and research complex to incorporate interstitial space with an incremental mechanical system. A “servo-system” concept integrating structural, mechanical and electrical systems, separates permanent and changeable building elements for ease and economy of future change and growth.

The building has been widely recognized as a visionary approach to healthcare architecture and signaled a turning point in Canadian medical history – the shift from hospital to health science centre.

The design was developed by placing the needs of the patient at the centre and calling for integration, coordination, and flexibility between the traditional separate units of education, research, and primary care. The design innovation was a supporting long-span space-frame structure within which core activities were envisioned as mobile units of space that could be plugged into the super-structure, thereby allowing the physical form of the building to change and expand alongside the shifting demands of healthcare.

Nine-foot deep, long-span steel trusses throughout the complex allow for walk-in spaces in which horizontal mechanical and electrical services can be easily rearranged as needs change. Vertical service shafts with mechanical and electrical systems grouped around structural columns permit for 73.6’ square column-free modules give planning flexibility.

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Project Details

Location

Hamilton, Ontario

Client

McMaster Health Sciences Centre

Status

Complete, 1972

Size

1,761,000 sq.ft. (163,000 sq.m.)

Sustainability

Complete, 1972

Scope

Architecture, Interior Design

Craig, Zeidler and Strong

Awards

Ontario Association of Architects – Landmark Designation Award, 2014

Ontario Furniture Design Award – Award of Excellence, 1971

Canadian Architect Yearbook – Award of Excellence, For Projects in the Design Stage, 1969

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