Bay Street meets Bay Window at The Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at SickKids Hospital. A sequence of undulating glass projections lends dynamic form to distinguish the tallest pediatric research building in the world and connect its activity to its dense urban setting. The façade comprises an energy-efficient blue-green glazing with horizontal ceramic frit that both maximizes daylighting and thermal control. A contrast is established between the frit pattern and the clarity of vision glass on the first three levels and in the bay windows. This transparency reinforces the connection to the city with an aim to demystify research into children’s health by putting the collaborative activity among researchers on view. The Gilgan Centre’s bold visual elements reinforce the Hospital’s role in the city with colour and luminosity and herald this new typology for research laboratories in the high-rise form.
