Photo credit: Adrien Williams
After nearly a decade of work, CannonDesign + NEUF architect(e)s have announced the completion of Phase 1 of the Centre hospitalier de l?Université de Montréal (CHUM).  Begun in 2009, the CHUM teaching institution is the largest healthcare construction project in North America and the largest public?private partnership project in Canadian history. Already, the building has ignited the revitalization of a neglected sector of Montreal?s urban core.
Initially structured as a two-phased project, the team reconfigured the indicative design of the campus arrangement and architecture in order to accelerate development significantly. As a result, Phase I, now complete, delivers the hospital?s core healthcare capabilities, including all patient rooms, all operating theatres, diagnostic and therapeutics, as well as the Oncology program, leaving only offices, a conference center, a few ambulatory spaces, and additional parking for Phase 2.  This allows the Quebec population to benefit from the much-needed state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure years sooner than originally anticipated. With social infrastructure and urban renewal as integral components to its design, the 22-storey complex, spanning over 3 million square feet and encompassing two full city blocks, will play an important role in regenerating the neglected East-end of Montreal?s downtown core, reconnecting the city?s urban fabric and anchoring the Quartier de la Santé, Montreal?...