The next step in a massive transformation of the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), known as Project Horizon, will add a soaring new tower to the institution's main frontage along University Avenue, with the new addition dubbed the Peter Gilgan Family Patient Care Tower.

An application filed in December seeks to advance plans for what could prove an impressive new gateway to the medical campus.

The proposed Peter Gilgan Family Patient Care Tower at 555 University Avenue marks the latest phase in Project Horizon, which aims to transform virtually every square foot of clinical care and support areas of the hospital.

Following on the heels of the first-phase SickKids Patient Support Centre, completed in 2023, the upcoming Patient Care Tower is planned to replace aging hospital space with approximately 241,500 square metres of new institutional healthcare space.

The hospital's current mid-20th century Black and Hill wings along its University Avenue and Gerrard Street West frontages would be demolished to make way for the new facility.

The application's cover letter explains that "Due to their age, these existing buildings are becoming obsolete with deteriorating infrastructure and antiquated systems that are increasingly challenged to support modern healthcare delivery," factors cited as the impetus for redevelopment.

Designed by Stantec and KPMB Architects, the tower is proposed to rise 32 storeys (29 habitable floors) to a height of 171 metres — significantly taller than any building on the SickKids campus, but in line with the heights of similar existing, planned, and under-construction buildings in the area.

Detailed exterior renderings were not included in the application, though massing diagrams offer a glimpse at the proposal's impact on the neighbourhood.

While exterior details are lacking, the application does provide an idea of what is to come, showing off bright, naturally-lit spaces with colourful finishes and views of the surrounding cityscape.

The new building will mesh with the existing SickKids campus via direct links to the hospital's Atrium and Burton buildings.

The application documents state that the new tower will help "expand hospital capacity and create new state-of-the-art facilities that will ensure that SickKids continues to be an international leader in pediatric healthcare, teaching, and research."