Built to test: These mockup spaces will guide the design of our new hospital campus

The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus is a pretty big deal — both literally and figuratively. It is the largest health-care infrastructure project in our city’s history.

This project to deliver a new state-of-the-art hospital isn’t just about reshaping the future of health care. It’s about building it, so it meets the needs of all patients, families, visitors and staff for generations to come.

How do we do that?

In a matter of speaking, we build it…before we build it.

Getting a head start on the future

The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and our development partner have been building — and rebuilding — prototype models of some of the most common spaces where care will be delivered. Built to scale, these mockups mirror the dimensions, layouts and furnishings of the rooms throughout the new hospital.

Mockup rooms have been carefully evaluated and put to the test by TOH staff, physicians, patients and members of our patient and family advisory committees, with the goal of ensuring final designs support the highest standard of care with patient experience in mind. During this process, the mockups were also reviewed with a strong focus on accessibility, infection prevention and control and staff workflows within each room. This included a variety of simulations conducted by our clinical teams to see how the rooms perform in real-world scenarios.

Supported by experienced tradespeople, our project teams have built, tested, rebuilt and refined each mockup room. Walls have been moved. Windows have changed size, and their privacy treatments — like frosted glass or blinds — have been carefully reviewed. Doors have swung, slid and folded open and closed. Sink heights and their splash zones have been measured. And the size, weight and material of furniture has all been evaluated to get every detail right.

“Building the mockups has been invaluable in bridging the gap between planning the new campus and bringing it to life,” says Karen Stockton, Executive Director of Planning & Development at The Ottawa Hospital.

“By adapting to feedback from our teams and reconfiguring the designs along the way to meet everyone’s specific needs, we know we’re getting it right,” she says. “This will ensure the new campus works for all patients and families who will need it, and for the staff and physicians who will work within it.”

Bringing the blueprints to life

What was once an empty warehouse space has essentially become the birthplace of the future of care.

• There’s a modern inpatient room designed with privacy in mind and space for loved ones to visit or spend the night.
• A special care nursery designed to keep families together and comfortable.
• An emergency department that’s larger and more private, with enhanced infection prevention and control measures.
• A labour and delivery room so thoroughly evaluated with mom, baby and family in mind that it has been redesigned four times to get it right.
• A new mental health inpatient room designed with enhanced safety measures and features that encourage engagement and connection. 
• New rooms for life-saving dialysis that are more comfortable. 
• Modern medication rooms designed to improve safety and reduce hallway clutter.

And this is just the beginning.

This hospital will be defined not just by its size and space, but by the collaboration, care and attention behind every detail.

Because when it comes to reshaping the future of health care, even the smallest details matter. 

Want to get a sense of what the future of care looks like? 

Check out this video tour of the mockup spaces.