Victoria Urgent Care and Primary Care Centre: Neighbourhood-inspired care

The redevelopment of the Medical Arts Building, a modernist landmark and source of neighbourhood pride, created an opportunity to expand access to urgent and primary care for Victoria’s underserved population. Island Health sought to provide urgent and primary care that connects residents with family doctors. 

Kasian led the interior renovation and tenant fit-out within the former ground-floor clinic and pharmacy. The redevelopment also included three floors of residential units added above the existing building. To support the new structure and meet modern seismic requirements, floor-to-ceiling steel cross-bracing informed the spatial layout of the design. 

The clinic includes 15 exam rooms for treatment and procedures, three mental health and counselling spaces, shared staff areas, and a large teaching boardroom. A dedicated educational zone supports ongoing staff learning. Together, these spaces provide a modern, safe, and uplifting healthcare environment for a neighbourhood with limited access to primary care. 

Inspired by Fernwood’s creative, community-driven character, three neighbourhood-based colour palettes to intuitively organize the clinic define different sections of the clinic and support intuitive wayfinding. Green tones reference the city’s bike lanes and reinforce a local sense of identity. 

Local murals and commissioned artwork transform exposed structural elements into expressions of creativity, strengthening the connection between the clinic and its community. 

The clinic removes the physical, spatial, and emotional barriers that once stood between residents and care providers, restoring a level of trust to the healthcare system. 

“It was a pleasure working with such a great team on this project! Despite the tight timeline and challenging site constraints, everyone kept a positive attitude, and we truly had fun together bringing this project to life.” – Katie Prueter, Project Manager, Facilities Design and Construction at Island Health 

“This space, with its substantial structural steel and concrete seismic constraints, was the perfect place to overcome the severity of these elements by emphasizing the spirit of Fernwood with whimsy; sparking joy with colour, texture, organic line, and form.” – Christine Weber, Principal, Interior Design at Kasian