CIOB Members in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) were recently given a tour of the under-construction Trillium HealthWorks Experience Centre in Mississauga, due to be Canada's largest health infrastructure renewal project. 

The tour, hosted in partnership with the Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC), gave members the opportunity to see firsthand how collaboration, testing and early stakeholder engagement are shaping the future Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital, Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, and Gilgan Family Queensway Health Centre.

Rather than reviewing drawings or renderings, we walked through full-scale mock-up rooms and heard directly from the project team about how clinicians, facilities staff, designers and constructors have influenced the final design. 

One message was clear throughout the visit: some of the most valuable construction decisions happen long before the building is complete.

Lesson 1: Test it before you build it

The Experience Centre is much more than a showroom. It allows future users to simulate real-life scenarios and identify improvements before construction progresses.

One example came from the Labour, Birth, Recovery and Postpartum Unit. Clinical simulations, including emergency childbirth scenarios, resulted in several design changes, including revisions to the room layout, improvements to the newborn headwall, additional shelving for fetal monitors and adjustments to the ceiling-mounted procedure lighting.

One of the most interesting examples was in the patient check-in area. During testing, the project team realized that the suspended light fixture above the reception desk could become a collection point for dust. Instead of proceeding with the original design, they changed the lighting to recessed ceiling fixtures. It's a small design adjustment, but one that improves cleaning and infection prevention while illustrating the purpose of the Experience Centre. By testing spaces before they're built, the team can identify practical improvements that benefit both hospital staff and patients.

For construction professionals, it was a valuable reminder that engaging end users early doesn't just improve the patient experience - it also reduces future maintenance, supports operational efficiency, and helps avoid costly changes later in the project.

Lesson 2: Construction safety extends beyond the jobsite

Delivering a major hospital while healthcare services continue requires careful planning.

One innovative solution was a dedicated mobile Tim Hortons for construction workers. By providing food and refreshments on-site, workers are less likely to enter active hospital areas during breaks, helping reduce the potential spread of infectious and airborne diseases while minimizing dust, disruption and unnecessary movement through occupied spaces.

It's a simple idea, but one that demonstrates how operational planning can contribute to both construction safety and patient safety.

Lesson 3: Good design comes from learning

The visit also highlighted how lessons from previous healthcare projects continue to improve future facilities.

The Mental Health Inpatient Unit incorporates learning from CAMH, including the use of soft washroom doors selected specifically to enhance patient safety. Rather than traditional swing or sliding doors, the chosen solution is height adjustable, meets IPAC and accessibility requirements, and can even be removed from the frame and used as a soft yoga or exercise mat for patients.

It's an excellent example of how construction professionals, designers and healthcare providers can work together to create safer, more functional environments.

Building for the future

The scale of the project is impressive. Once complete, the 22-storey Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital will include 950 beds and 100% private patient rooms. The Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children will feature 31 birthing rooms, including 18 Labour, Birth and Recovery rooms and 13 Labour, Birth, Recovery and Postpartum rooms, all designed and refined through end-user engagement.

Construction is expected to continue through 2029, with EllisDon serving as the contractor and Stantec Architecture as Prime Consultant.

Thank you

A sincere thank you to Trillium Health Partners for hosting CIOB and CAWIC and providing members with an insightful look behind one of Canada's most significant healthcare construction projects.

The visit reinforced an important lesson for our profession: successful projects are not only measured by what is built, but by the conversations, collaboration and continuous improvements that happen before construction is complete.

We look forward to welcoming members to our next CIOB and CAWIC site visit on 23 October, where we will visit Ouroboros to explore how deconstruction and material recovery are supporting a more sustainable built environment.