Healthcare Design - August 2018 - 59

A B OV E : The

art installation "Sans titre (L'artiste
au travail)," by Klaus
Scherübel, constitutes
three elements at an
entrance stairwell. On
the ground floor, an
oversized light fixture
hovers over a large
human silhouette. Both
are reflected on an
undulating metal surface.
The water-like surface
unfolds into the atrium
following one's ascension
in the building. L E FT:
Historic artifacts were
painstakingly preserved
and rebuilt on-site. The
steeple from the Church
of Saint-Sauveur is now
a key corner of the
hospital.

the street with large expanses of glass. And throughout the public areas, the
sizable art collection engages users as they move through the space while
providing an unexpected degree of interest.

What process did the team go through to make sure the art program didn't just meet a mandate but became an integral part of the
project?
Azad Chichmanian: Our approach was to blur the lines between the art
and the architecture to the point where artist, architect, and builder are
all working on a single, common work of art. Using a variety of media, each
art piece is thoughtfully integrated into the design to create a dialogue between the building, the installation, and the viewer-whether it be a patient, caregiver, or member of the public.
Art is everywhere in the hospital; visible at the city scale as you approach
the CHUM, all the way down to the more intimate scale of the inpatient
unit entrances, creating a human, welcoming experience for staff, patients,
and visitors.
How did the design of the building play a role in revitalizing the
surrounding urban area?
Chichmanian: The selection of the site for the new CHUM was a debate
that dominated public life for the better part of a decade in Quebec, with
the final location recognizing the role of such a major piece of infrastructure in activating a neglected sector of the downtown core. The public investment was not only for the new flagship of Quebec's healthcare network,
but in finally repairing the urban fabric scarred by the construction of the
Ville-Marie expressway in the 1970s, after which this area fell into disuse

and Montrealers were cut off from the river.
Our treatment of the building massing and
animation of the urban landscape were carefully
calibrated to balance functionality and transparency. By honoring the pedestrian experience
along [a nearby street] where we eliminated
any vehicular entrances and created a series of
architectural objects that animate the street, a
north-south pedestrian flow is re-established to
reconnect Old Montreal with downtown's East
end. ...We were able to carve out a large outdoor
plaza, which will act as a place of gathering and
the primary entrance. A copper-clad amphitheater will sit at the heart of this plaza, acting as the
heart of the campus and expressing the teaching
vocation of the university hospital-signifying
the civic role of the hospital at street level.
What lessons did you learn regarding how
health, community, and culture have the opportunity to come together if planned and
designed properly?
Stroupe: This project was significant for the city
and Provence of Quebec. It had a great deal of
scrutiny by the community and media, particularly since it was a publicly funded project. As a
result, the CHUM was designed with a deep understanding of the unique culture of the city of
Montreal.
Our team conducted considerable research
about architectural precedents to understand
the sophistication of the community. We immersed ourselves in the culture, with many of
our team members living in Montreal for extended periods of time. All of this provided us
with a better understanding of how we interacted with various clinical users and hospital
leadership-and, ultimately, those we were designing for. The design of the CHUM is unique
to its place and responds to its culture; this sitespecific solution would not necessarily be as successful elsewhere.
For more on the project, see page 80. 
Jennifer Kovacs Silvis is editor-in-chief of Healthcare
Design. She can be reached at J E N N I F E R . S I L V I S
@EMERALDEXPO.COM.

AUGUST 2018

Healthcare Design - August 2018

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