The Hospital for Sick Children

Toronto, ON

Services

Environmental Graphic Design

Deliverables

Wayfinding
Signage
Placemaking
Masterplan

A connected hub for collaboration, education and research

Designed as a hub for virtual care, collaboration, education, research and events—the new Patient Support Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is a space that fosters innovation. In keeping with SickKids values, this ambitious new space meant developing an experience which expresses a feeling of welcome and support. Forge was invited by B+H Architects to create a wayfinding masterplan that ensured visitor peace of mind, while creating a distinct sense of place and community connectedness for staff and visitors.

Modern hospital lobby with yellow and blue accents, a reception desk, and people walking.

Modern interior with colourful glass staircase and people walking.

A vibrant lobby experience with colour accents visible at ground level

B+H Guiding Themes: Lively, Joyful, Texture, Colour

Floor plan of a main atrium lobby showing circulation paths, elevators, and directories.

Diagram illustrating accessible main atrium lobby orientation features like destination dispatch and tactile flooring.

Visitor wayfinding journey flowchart showing steps from approaching the site to arriving at the destination.

Intuitive wayfinding through purposeful placemaking

Forge began its masterplanning of the wayfinding journey through careful consideration of the voices that space and place concerns; namely kids. Ensuring an intuitive experience throughout all spaces meant collaborating with relevant groups to create a themed journey narrative. Our wayfinding approach also prioritizes intuitive paths of circulation through the use of placemaking.

Blue bicycle icon next to a parking sign with an arrow

Blue icons of people and arrows on a dotted background, indicating gender-neutral restrooms.

Initial exploration of iconography as supergraphic landmarking

Elevator lobby with yellow number 6 signage and modern lighting.

Elevator lobby signage conceptual render

Close-up of the number 22 carved into a wooden surface with blue accents.

Modern office hallway with elevators and directional signage.

Final elevator lobby integrates level number as landmark element with iconography and level colours

A journey of colour

Colour was another layer of the expression of joy and play integrated throughout each level of the building. Working closely with stakeholders, Forge curated hints of colour cues into signage and murals that changed on each floor. Working in harmony with interior design palettes, this journey of colour strengthens the sense of place identity whether at street level or travelling floor to floor.

Modern building with colourful string facade and people walking on stairs.

Floor markers for levels 8, 7, and 6 with

Level ID concept rendering and feature stairwell elevation

Green stairwell signage with abstract green squares on a white wall.

A person walks past a large number 21 on a white wall with pipes overhead.

Bright yellow staircase with green ceiling and large windows.

A colourful journey in this feature stairwell encourages use of an underused space to promote well-being

Modern orange staircase with a person walking down, leading to a hallway with

Modern hallway with bright yellow stairs and green accents, a person walks by.

Modern pink staircase with a view of city buildings through a large window.

Interior view of a modern hallway with green accents and large number 18 on the wall.

A metaphor for play

Crafting the space’s influence on how people feel became foundational to establishing a theme for placemaking. Forge explored children’s perspectives of joy and play as metaphors for developing a consistent visual language that became integral to each element of the wayfinding design. Taking cues from block letters, peg and post toys, provided a visual framework that developed over the course of the project.

Modern office interior with a woman walking past a decorative screen and a mural.

Murals depicting stylized landscapes and lego inspired supergraphics

A colourful mural with abstract shapes and cartoon drawings adorns a hallway with teal seating.

Murals with drawings supplied by children liven up the space and ease the experience for staff and visitors

Silhouette of a person walking past abstract, colourful, coiled structures.

Silhouette of a person walking past a pattern of triangles in yellow, grey and blue.

Silhouette of a person walking past a series of coloured circles and bars.

Preliminary renderings of mural artwork

Modern office hallway with abstract wall art and city view.

Abstract geometric pattern on a white wall with orange, grey and blue shapes.

Corridor supergraphics developed with games-inspired themes and input from the Children’s Council

Freeing the act of mobility

Promoting safe and independent movement for people of all abilities was also an important priority for SickKids. Wayfinding included development of tactile maps and cues at key locations for people with sight disabilities. Forge advised on proper semiotic use of pictographic language to be inclusive to a wide audience, ensuring that design of these elements felt aligned with the overall visual narrative.