Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Completed: 2022
Architect: CSV Architects
Renovation Architect: James Edwards Architect and Frank Fentiman Architect (1992)
Nominated by: Joel Harden, MPP (Ottawa Centre) & Chandra Pasma, MPP (Ottawa West—Nepean)

How do you turn a 1928 public school into a community health centre and affordable housing for seniors? This was the challenge set out for the architects behind the Carlington Community Health Centre (CCHC), a showcase for effective mixed-use development that addresses the needs of its residents and community while also integrating highly sustainable design practices.

A Project Long in the Making

It might take a moment, but look closely at the CCHC and you will be able to make out the original 1928 public school that made the new hub possible. Situated on a long and narrow site off of Merivale Road—an important thoroughfare in Ottawa’s west end—the CCHC first made use of the historic building in 1994, adapting the school to suit the health centre’s needs. The initial renovations retained much of the school’s existing layout and historic facade, adding a new ground-floor entrance and modest rear addition. But the layout constraints of the original school building made it less than ideal for a healthcare facility, forcing users to navigate services spread out over two floors.

As the CCHC and its community grew, it quickly reached the limits of what the existing building was able to accommodate. This resulted in undersized examination rooms, general accessibility concerns, and lack of space that forced the administrative offices into a portable unit outside. It was clear that some kind of change was needed, yet further renovations were no longer feasible after decades of renovations had created a patchwork structure too complex to handle more changes. By the early 2000s, the CCHC started looking up, exploring options for an ambitious vertical expansion with their architects, CSV Architects.

Housing and Healthcare Hand in Hand

While the needs to expand CCHC were clear, how to fund a potential addition was less certain. It would be a creative pairing of uses addressing two critical needs in the community that would make the new home of CCHC possible. 

Action Ottawa is a program run by the City of Ottawa that works with not-for-profit and private housing providers to build affordable housing. It was through this initiative that CCHC would be able to secure the funding needed to kickstart the first phase of the expansion. For this to be possible, the project had to transform from a straightforward expansion of the community and healthcare facilities to the mixed-use complex we see today, incorporating 42 affordable units specifically designed for active seniors. It would also mean the close collaboration of Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) and CCHC to balance the needs of two very different uses. 

Interior corridor view of the Carlington Community Health Centre. Image courtesy of Krista Jahnke Photography.

While placing health services at the doorstep of seniors’ housing might seem like an obvious pairing, achieving this integration required years of negotiation between various organizations and funding sources. OCH took on the role of construction manager for the entire project, completing the apartments and constructing the shell for CCHC, who would then carry out their own fit-out once funding was secured. 

The architects balanced the need for a sufficient number of homes with the space required for an expanded clinic, all while preserving the integrity of the existing heritage structure—a real-world game of Tetris. The resulting building layout is so intuitive, it's easy to forget how complex the process was to get there. The new CCHC has relocated all primary healthcare facilities to the ground floor, easing accessibility and simplifying the previously complex layout. The original school now contains community spaces, social services, and staff offices—all uses that better suit the heritage structure. And the housing on top now gets to enjoy the convenience of being adjacent to so many helpful resources. 

Ultimately, the project’s success was secured through the effective cooperation of all parties involved, culminating in a thriving new mixed-use hub. Blue cladding on the new expansion is a nod to the original 1990s renovation, creating a dialogue between different eras of architecture.

Designing for Aging

The one-bedroom apartments at CCHC were specifically designed with active seniors in mind, and a number of features were incorporated to ensure the spaces would better support them and their needs. 

Encouraging social interaction and physical activity was a priority at CCHC, so special attention was paid to common spaces, terraces, and even hallways to provide room for activities and gatherings. Sitting areas and charging stations are available on every floor, incorporating the needs of those using assistive devices and providing places to rest. Stairwells, which are usually dark and enclosed in the middle of a building, are instead located at building’s edges, creating opportunities for natural light that encourage their use. Outside the building, a path around the property provides the perfect route to do laps and get some exercise. 

[Left] View of an amenity soace within the Carlington Community Health Centre (CCHC). [Right] Exterior view of the main entrance of CCHC. Image courtesy of Krista Jahnke Photography.

These features, along with many others including 20% of the units being fully accessible and 100% of them being visitable, ensure the building positively contributes to its residents' ability to age in place independently and live longer, happier lives. 

The Carlington Community Health Centre project exemplifies successful collaboration between diverse stakeholders and government bodies, resulting in a model for integrated community living that prioritizes sustainability, accessibility, and holistic health care.

This post is part of the OAA’s Queen’s Park Picks 2024 series, where Ontario’s Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) were encouraged to nominate a building in their riding for a chance to learn more about it. This year, MPPs were asked to consider various typologies related to housing when making their suggestion, tying into the 2024 OAA Conference theme, Housing: Pushing the Envelope. Check out the rest of the series to learn more about great buildings across the province.