Humber River Hospital

Reinventing patient care. It’s the focus at Humber River Hospital, one of Canada’s largest acute-care hospitals and the first fully digital hospital in North America. Integral to its vision of improving patient well-being, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability is 26,000 square feet of View Smart Windows.


  • North America's first fully digital hospital with individual control over patient room windows
  • Helps achieve sustainability goal of 40% less energy usage
  • Eliminates need for an expensive motorized blind system
  • Improves patient and staff wellness and the hospital experience
  • Adjusts intelligently to prevent heat and glare
  • Location
    Toronto, Canada
  • Architect
    HDR
  • General Contractor
    PCL

HRH’s goal is nothing short of revolutionizing patient care. “The new Humber River Hospital is a shared goal for a modern, high-quality hospital,” says Mario Sergio, a former member of provincial parliament.

Part of HRH’s aspiration is to have a patient-focused building design, eliminating the existing motorized blind system. Hospital design teams recognize that natural daylighting helps improve patients’ sleep patterns and quality of sleep. Research also shows that exposure to natural light and views of the outdoors reduces patients’ depression and agitation—and can even ease pain.

Hospital staff benefit too, because natural light increases alertness and effectiveness while decreasing fatigue and stress.

The hospital seeks to be a model of environmental sustainability. HRH’s goal is to use 40 percent less energy than what is mandated by national energy standards to achieve annual savings of $1 per square foot in utility costs.

As one of the largest installations of smart glass in the world, almost 26,000 square feet of View Smart Windows are installed using panels as large as 5-feet by 7-feet. The View Smart Windows tie into the hospital's building management system and View's intelligent controls automatically tint the glass panels to maintain an optimum interior environment.

A successful building design meets both energy usage and patient-focused objectives. HRH is an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art digital hospital, providing a tranquil setting for patients, families and staff.