New designs of the BC Children's Hospital facility on Slocan Street have been revealed.
The huge project is the "first-of-its-kind" in Canada (and one of only a few, internationally), according to the hospital, and is being built where the Sunny Hill Health Centre had been located at Slocan Street and East 21 Avenue, until it moved in 2020.
It will offer a combination of services for children and youth, according to the hospital, focusing on complex health issues.
"The centre will help children that require round-the-clock supervision and care, and rely on many different services within and outside the health system," states the hospital on its site. "These are children with complex and chronic conditions who may depend on technologies to survive and may use mobility equipment to get around."
The design reflects those needs, they add, from a ramp integrated as a feature element, which will allow people using mobility equipment choice, control and a place to practice. It also is meant to give the facility a different feel.
"The 'modern farmhouse' style of the overall building includes shapes and forms that echo the roofs and windows of surrounding homes. They’re not forms typically used in a health-care facility," states the hospital.
It also includes 16 suites where families can stay overnight, if needed.
Outside, a healing garden is also planned, for Indigenous cultural practices.
Along with the facility, the site will have a 74-child daycare purpose-built.
The hospital notes the designs may change before they're finalized.
