Driving down Highway 401, one can't help but notice the eight massive cranes peaking out over the horizon at Keele Street. The huge Ontario Government-owned lands at Keele and Wilson Avenue have been the home to the Ministry of Transportation for years, but with much excess land available, two new state-of-the-art complexes are coming to the site.

Eastern end of campus; photo by rdaner

The first project to complete on the site will be the Forensic Services and Coroner's Complex, opening later this year. The complex will bring 550,000 square feet for forensic studies and lab space for the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, and the Centre of Forensic Sciences. Coming together in one state-of-the-art building will make collaboration easier between the agencies.

Coroner's Complex under construction; photo by rdaner

Coroner's Complex under construction; photo by rdaner

The second complex to complete on the site will be the new Humber River Regional Hospital, designed by HDR Architecture for Plenary Health Care Partnerships. It is on its way to becoming one of Toronto's largest hospitals at 1.8 million square feet. It is due for completion in mid-2015.

Humber River Hospital under construction; photo by Humber River Hospital

Humber River Regional Hospital will be North America's first digital hospital, which will utilize technologies in a completely digital environment. All operational processes will be automated throughout the complex. Key features for the state-of-the-art hospital will be easily accessible data for patients and doctors, integrated connection using kiosks and mobile devices throughout the building, and Integrated Bedside Terminals, which will allow patients to control their room environment.

Humber River Hospital under construction; photo by rdaner

The complex has been designed to adhere to the LEED rating system, with a goal to reach Silver certification. The hospital broke ground in December 2011, and has a projected opening date of Fall 2015, to accommodate over 107,000 visits per year. Below are renderings of the complex from HDR Architecture.

Rendering of Humber River Hospital; rendering by HDR Architecture

Rendering of Humber River Hospital; rendering by HDR Architecture

Check out the Humber River Regional Hospital fly-through video:

Want to see more images? Check out the UrbanToronto dataBase pages for the projects linked below. Want to get in on the discussion? Choose the Humber River Regional Hospital and Coroner's Complex thread in our Projects & Construction forum.