How an Indigenous design studio helped improve access to health care at UHN — and beyond – The Globe and Mail
Sep 18, 2025
When the Indigenous Health Program (IHP) team at the University Health Network (UHN) went to Indigenous patients for feedback about what could make hospital spaces more welcoming, there was one overarching request: natural materials like wood, so the patients could see a connection to the living world.
Unfortunately, strict healthcare regulations didn’t allow the use of natural materials, which posed a problem for team, which was working on creating a first-of-its-kind Indigenous Wellness Centre at UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital. Invested in bridging this gap, the IHP hired the Indigenous Design Studio (IDS) of Brook McIlroy, an award-winning Canadian architecture firm, to work with healthcare architectural firm C& Partners and PCL Construction to design and create the wellness centre.
The guiding principle for IDS was, “how do we incorporate Indigenous cultures into the built environment and how do we draw upon those stories from communities — making sure when people come to these spaces, they’re feeling heard and seen?” says Danny Roy, an associate intern architect and planner with the IDS, and part of the English River Dene Nation in Treaty 10 territory and Cree Métis from the northern community of Sakitawak (Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan).
