Schroeder Ambulatory Centre

The Schroeder Ambulatory Centre, with capital funded entirely by the Schroeder Foundation, is a groundbreaking healthcare project designed to address Ontario’s pressing issue of wait times for common outpatient surgeries, diagnostic imaging, and medical procedures that improve peoples’ quality of life. As an independent, non-profit facility—the largest of its kind and unique Ontario and Canada—it offers an efficient, multidisciplinary model for delivering ambulatory care with a mission to reduce pain, increase mobility, and improve healthcare efficiency.

The Centre is partnering with leading hospitals to move a high volume of relatively simple, publicly insured healthcare services out of those hospitals and into a community care setting that improves access, efficiency, and patient experience while reducing pressure on the broader healthcare system. This approach opens up much-needed capacity for the Centre’s hospital partners to focus on providing more complex care, optimizing use of limited staffing levels. The Centre also shares with hospital partners access to the latest medical technology, equipment, and infrastructure, further maximizing the volume of care that can be effectively delivered within the public health system. With a capacity for up to 200,000 patient visits annually, it supports the Ontario Ministry of Health’s broader healthcare strategy while demonstrating the larger role of philanthropy in supporting healthcare innovation and sustainability. Once fully realized, this approach is intended to serve as a scalable model for more convenient and accessible care across Canada.

As both Design Architect and Architect of Record, NORR showcased how adaptive reuse can meet the functional demands of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility. The project transforms a 200,000 square foot medical office building into an ambulatory surgical facility. Employing LEAN design principles, the team focused on eliminating inefficiencies, optimizing workflows, and embedding patient-centric solutions throughout. The design incorporates thoughtful use of colors, textures, and organic forms to create a calming environment and aid in wayfinding and signage for intuitive navigation throughout the facility, further enhancing patient and staff experiences. Challenges posed by the existing structure, such as non-purpose-built layouts and curved walls, required innovative solutions, including strategic placement of operating rooms and imaging equipment to minimize structural upgrades.

Through the Immersive Design Process, continuous collaboration with user groups were embraced from pre-design to operational readiness. Early engagement with the Ministry of Health and City officials enabled the team to navigate complex code compliance and regulatory requirements through alternative design solutions to provide a sustainable, scalable model for healthcare delivery.

The Schroeder Ambulatory Centre is a landmark in Canadian healthcare philanthropy. By reducing hospital wait times, advancing patient care, and fostering innovation, it exemplifies how visionary philanthropy can create lasting community impact.