‘The architecture of care’ in Toronto

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Montgomery Sisam’s ‘understated yet exemplary design’ is inspiring, says Rosalind Ormiston

Toronto-based architects Montgomery Sisam have built part of their reputation through the provision of understated yet exemplary design of long-term accommodation created for the elderly frail. It has brought their practice, launched in the late 1970s, into the public eye, a successful presence they maintain in the 21st century. Place and Occasion: Montgomery Sisam Architects, is a review of their work aesthetic. The book’s introduction by Robert Davies, one of the company’s Principals, cites three ‘lenses’ they look through, which provide a framework for the company’s ethos: social and cultural context; a democratic studio policy; and an ambition to do more with less.

The social and cultural context ‘lens’ was initially formed by Expo ’67 in Toronto, which exposed the city and Canada to world architecture. Leading architects from the UK and Europe came to Canada, widening perspectives on architectural practice. Davies emphasizes the contribution of British architect Peter Prangell, ‘a ground-breaking educator with a profound impact on the University of Toronto’, focusing architectural design on the health and well-being of individuals and society. Terry Montgomery, David Sisam and Jeff Stinson all taught architecture at the university. Leading from this association the Stinson Montgomery Sisam practice was formed in 1978 (Jeff Stinson left in 1987, to form a new practice).

The book includes supporting texts by David Sisam (born Oxford, UK) plus Ken Greenberg and Nick Drake with essays by Beth Kapusta, an architecture critic from Toronto writing on ‘architecture as citizen’; and Bruce Kuwabara, one of Canada’s leading architects, discussing ‘the architecture of care’, to unfold the story of Montgomery Sisam, from its early years through to the present day, with long-term healthcare design forming the backbone of its institution. The company began with a small team of around 12–13 employees in the first ten years, leading to over 40 today. Ownership of the company is now spread between seven principals.

From the appraisal of company philosophy and culture, the book’s text moves on to focus on its building design through four themes:‘light and air’; ‘economy of means, generosity of ends’; ‘transcending expectations’; and ‘the space between’, to look at major projects the company sees as its flagship achievements.Its mission statement: ‘Our commitment to design excellence is rooted in the belief that buildings must play a dignified and lasting role for their occupants and the wider community’, is identified in the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Province of Ontario (2006), Canada’s first teaching hospital in children’s rehabilitation, features light-filled public spaces; and Ronald Macdonald House, Toronto (2011), a home for families with children undergoing medical treatment.

Layouts, drawings and photographs highlight how much care has been taken to ensure a warm ambience. Private nooks and recesses in public spaces give individuals a place to meet, to rest, talk, read, all aimed at relieving the stress of a group of people coming together in difficult circumstances. At Ronald Macdonald House the simplicity of a chalk board outside each child’s room, for the room occupant to personalize his/her space (long-term care homes for the elderly have memory boxes outside each room, to hold personal mementoes, to aid memory), is a small but important detail that takes attention away from medical needs on to social needs for normality in an abnormal situation for parents and children.

The Bob Rumball Home for the Deaf long-term care centre (2006), creates a setting that ‘preserves deaf culture, language and heritage’. The home accommodates 64 residents in four houses overlooking Lake Simcoe, Ontario. The Norwood Lodge long-term care facility, near Simcoe (2005), accommodates 179 elderly residents in two, two-storey wings, divided into four ‘houses’ for 22 – 23 residents, each with its own dining, bathing, living spaces. The central hub of the building incorporates shops and a chapel, and an auditorium. The number of occupants puts personal interaction and daily needs first, through ambient use of space.

In the 21st century, with global recognition that people are living longer, but are not necessarily healthier – with rapid increases in obesity, diabetes, dementia – care for the longer-living elderly should become a major priority for building planners, medical experts and care-home owners. Reading Place and Occasion reveals how Montgomery Sisam has engaged with the needs of this vulnerable, often unheard, group of people. The company’s designs are inspiring – no unloved rooms with circles of chairs occupied by the silent elderly here – and one hopes their ideas will be taken up by public welfare institutions in other countries. 

Other sections in this book look at the company’s wider practice, highlighting over 90 projects including libraries, printing factory lofts, a convent, summer houses, university buildings, low-income public housing, a yacht club, and Canada’s bird study HQ. My favourite is the Humber River Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge (1996), Toronto, which brings cyclists and walkers together without collision. It is beautiful to look at, superbly designed and practical. What more could one ask of the architects?

Place and Occasion: Montgomery Sisam Architects by David Sisam, Robert Davies et al. is published by Artifice Books on Architecture, London 2013. 208 pp. 190 colour and mono illus, £24.95 / $39.95, paperback. ISBN 978 1 908967 08