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2011 Proposal Modernization Project

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Montreal General Hospital Redevelopment Project

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is committed to being one of the world’s foremost academic health centres with state-of-the-art facilities on all three of its sites, transforming health care for generations to come. 

Since 2008, the MUHC has revisited its approved plans for the modernization of the Montreal General Hospital (MGH). In-depth studies demonstrated construction of the 2008 proposal would have been extremely disruptive and costly (seismic rehabilitation of the entire building would have been necessary). As well, the A and B Wing expansions were no longer necessary as the Neuro will not be moving to the site. The current project reconfirms the MUHC's commitment to excellence, providing the best care possible in leading-edge facilities. 

The revised proposal includes:

  • A brand new streamlined emergency department and modern operating rooms as well as medical devices reprocessing (MDR) facilities which will be built, as planned, in a new structure in the West Courtyard;
  • The building under construction at 1750 Cedar Avenue, which will become a four-storey medical centre (daytime use only, Monday to Friday);
  • A semi-underground parking lot with a green roof next to the existing parking garage;
  • Single-patient rooms in Wings D and E (phased-in);
  • An extensive greening program.

Advantages of the New Concept

The use of 1750 Cedar Avenue is central to the revised plans. Not only will the use of the existing building greatly facilitate renovations in a hospital that operates around the clock by providing the space to decant current activities, it will also provide much needed space for clinics and offices. Visually and environmentally, the revised project has numerous benefits. It ensures better urban integration while protecting all current sight-lines and views of Mount Royal and it provides over 34,068 ft2 of new green space.

2011 Project vs. 2008 Project

Elimination of the six additional floors planned for the C Wing;

  • Elimination of the expansion of the A and B Wings;
  • Elimination of the 264 spot parking lot under the West Courtyard;
  • The new semi-underground parking to the north of the current parking structure will provide 230 new spaces, and will be accessible from both Cedar and Côte-des-Neiges;
  • Increase in traffic around the hospital reduced to 10% (13% in the 2008 plan);
  • The scope of construction has decreased the floor surface area, excluding all parking, by approximately 18% compared to the 2008 plan;
  • Floor Area Ratio reduced to 2.6 (3.0 in the 2008 plan).

Compliance with the recommendations put forward by the Office de consultations publiques de Montréal following the hearings in 2008:

  • Restoration of 14,424 ft2 currently used for parking. This initiative is even more significant environmentally, as it will help eliminate a number of urban heat islands;
  • The Benedictine forest will be enlarged by some 6,060 ft2 with the addition of trees indigenous to the Montreal region;
  • The addition of over 19,644 ft2 of green rooftops;
  • Greening of the entryway to the existing parking structure off Cedar;
  • Landscaping of a section of the Durnford parking lot, which will help conceal the tiered parking garage from Pine Avenue;
  • Creation of a pedestrian walkway between Pine and Cedar Avenues, creating a link to Mount Royal Park.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE MONTREAL GENERAL HOSPITAL

The only adult tertiary trauma care centre in downtown Montreal, the MUHC's Montreal General Hospital (MGH) is a vital resource in the heart of our city. The renovations will see the creation of a state-of-the-art emergency room, some of the most sophisticated operating rooms in the country, modern individual patient rooms, and a complete range of associated specialties. All will ensure that it will continue to thrive as a centre of healthcare excellence for generations to come, while privileging green space to bridge the city and historic Mount-Royal.

The renovations will enable the MUHC to maintain the services it offers in orthopaedics, emergency, mental health, general practice and surgery, maxilla-facial surgery, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, geriatrics, and neuroscience at the MGH. The renovations have already begun in a number of units. Notable among the projects underway or already completed are:

  • Construction of a new electrical sub-station;
  • Consolidation of and renovations to the Mental Health Unit;
  • Upgrades to the Gastroenterology Unit;
  • Renovations to the Cardiac Care Unit;
  • Construction of a new Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory.

These initiatives involve the creation of welcoming, healing environments that offer a special place for families and plenty of natural light and green space. They also aim to promote synergy among the care, teaching and research activities carried out here, with all of these being priorities for the MUHC's Glen site and Lachine Hospital as well.