This healthcare centre provides much-needed low barrier access to care for the high demand population in the Burnaby-Edmonds area. The project was a collaborative effort by Fraser Health Authority, Burnaby Division of Family Practice, Burnaby Inter-Agency Council, and Burnaby Primary Care Networks. CTA’s mission was to manage the unique requirements of each stakeholder and incorporate them into a design that is both functional and appealing.
The Centre’s program spaces were split into 2 suites of a newly completed commercial/residential mixed-use development without compromising operational efficiency. The first suite consists of the main reception and waiting area, eight exam rooms, three virtual/consult rooms, and a care team area, including four additional breakout rooms that allow virtual care to be delivered by the physicians. The other suite contains a secondary waiting area, offices, a large sub-dividable group therapy room, three more virtual/consult rooms, and a staff lounge. The design employs a strategic mixture of calm and soothing color palettes in the patient areas and uplifting and energetic color palettes in the staff area.
The project was delivered in a fast-tracked manner that successfully reflects the needs of all the stakeholders.

The move of the Downtown Rehabilitation Centre to newly leased premises at 312 Main Street provided an opportunity to transform the old Vancouver Police Department headquarters into a community-centered hub that fosters collaboration and innovation among organizations, artists, and entrepreneurs.
The new location is still in the heart of the Downtown East Side to serve clients in this neighborhood. The layout allows for all outreach staff to work in an open office environment, encouraging peer support and collaboration. Additionally, the Centre contains seven consult rooms and a physiotherapy room with direct connection to the gym. The facility also reflects a true integrated Indigenous design thanks to the collaborative effort between the design team, VCH Indigenous Project Team, and local Indigenous artists.
The project was fast-tracked to only take 5 months from design to completion to get this community resource up and running as soon as possible.

The new Chilliwack Primary Care Clinic involved the conversion of industrial/commercial premises into a state-of-the-art healthcare facility. The building is equipped with twelve exam rooms, three consult rooms, and two large meeting rooms for group therapy, staff meetings, and education. Other support spaces include a medication room, soiled utility room, clean supply area, staff lounge, and numerous telephone rooms for virtual consultations.
A key feature of the facility is the designated sacred space for use by the Indigenous community. This room is specifically designed for meditation, Indigenous group gatherings, and smudging ceremonies. The room is finished with cedar wood fixed benches and drawers, a small kitchenette, and wall display cases for Indigenous artifacts. CTA also collaborated with FHA’s appointed Indigenous artists to integrate a number of art pieces into the design.

The tenant improvement of approximately 9,000 sf of leased commercial space was needed to accommodate various healthcare providers in Tsawwassen, Delta, who were all in need of office/clinical space. This health unit is designed to enable it to provide a variety of community health and preventative care programs, such as disease prevention and control, dental care, early childhood development, public health, specialized senior health, speech development for preschoolers, and tuberculosis testing services.
Throughout the design process, CTA scheduled individual meetings with WHS, IPS and IT to ensure the design incorporated all the essential workspace, security, and IT requirements, such as virtual care A/V provisions in the large meeting room. We also coordinated the planning and procurement of furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
The result was a design that captured all user requirements and produced an economic solution that translated well into construction. At the end of the project, additional provisions and modifications were incorporated, arising from new COVID protocols.

An existing dialysis clinic was transformed into the Abbotsford Urgent and Primary Care Centre to better meet the area’s healthcare needs. In order to meet the targeted go-live date of this much-needed facility, CTA considered the state of good repair and utilized as much of the existing layout and building infrastructure as possible. Even with these constraints, CTA was able to design a facility that is refreshing in appearance and effective in operation. Ongoing collaboration with the various stakeholders, users, and the technical team from Fraser Health Authority played a major role in the success of the project.
The clinic includes two talking rooms, four regular sized exam rooms, a bariatric exam room, and a large therapy room with additional telehealth capability. The project only took ~6 months from initial design until completion.

This Urgent & Primary Care Centre will fill a crucial gap in care for Surrey/Newton residents who are unattached to a primary care provider and will benefit from an interdisciplinary model of care.
Time was of the essence to meet the opening deadline for this vital healthcare hub. Design and construction were divided into three phases to get the Centre up and running sooner, with the clinical team operating out of the phase 1 spaces while the subsequent phases were still underway.
The facility was designed with both staff and patients in mind and includes five exam rooms, a workstation touchdown area, a soiled and clean utility room, an IT room, a minor procedure room, a bariatric washroom, and a partial reception area. Additionally, all existing finishes were upgraded to provide an uplifting patient care environment.

The Richmond East Urgent and Primary Care Centre is the first of its kind to simultaneously support the delivery of two types of healthcare programs: Urgent Primary Care (UPC) and Comprehensive Longitudinal Primary Care (CLPC).

The design vision was grounded in a team-based philosophy and the facility’s configuration is designed with integration and collaboration in mind. There are 3 suites (UPCC, including a radiography area, Longitudinal Care, and a staff amenity area) and all are set up to optimize workflow and patient experience. A care team station is located in the middle of the patient area, ensuring staff are readily available to respond to patients’ needs more efficiently, while also encouraging close collaboration among the staff members delivering the services.

Making a health clinic stand out in a shopping mall is a team effort.

The Ridge Meadows Wellness Centre is a partnership between Fraser Health Authority, Ridge Meadows Division of Family Practice and Katzie First Nation. The clinic spans 8300SF in Haney Place Mall. Here, 3 types of patient care have made their home: Urgent Primary Care (UPCC), Primary Community Care (PCC), and Allied Care (Wellness). But these groups are more than just neighbours. They’ve collaborated and taken on a team-based care system. Within patient areas are spaces for staff to collaborate. And even further interaction is encouraged via the large therapy room, which is suitable for cultural practices such as smudging ceremonies, drumming, and ceremony circles. The clinic also includes 12 exam rooms, 3 consultation rooms, and a rehab area for physical/occupational therapy.

The Urgent and Primary Care Centre is located in a newly developed, high density residential neighborhood in Port Moody. Its contemporary design suits the demographic of this youthful neighborhood and will attract young medical professionals to work at the Centre. The UPCC accounts for both current needs and future considerations. Comprised of five exam rooms, including a larger room where minor procedures can be performed, four consult rooms with dual access for staff safety, clean and dirty utility rooms, and a medication room, the Centre is well-equipped to support the needs of the current community. A large group therapy room considers the social sustainability of the Centre by doubling-up as an educational space for medical practitioners and healthcare workers. This room can also be used as a smudging room by Indigenous peoples.

British Columbia is in the process of transitioning its health system to a unified system of team-based primary and community care.

Local centres will deliver services to people who need them, by the right provider at the right time. The Ministry of Health approved the funding for this program in December 2017. And Surrey was selected as the first of its kind in this new approach to care. Surrey Urgent Primary Care Centre services the North Surrey/Whalley area. The target patients are the most vulnerable part of the local population – people who have no doctor. Many of these people may also have mental health issues. Currently they may seek help at a shelter – or they may not get treatment at all. The proposed Urgent Primary Care Centre will provide the residents of Surrey timely access to primary care services in response to an urgent need.