Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (LKSKI), in Toronto’s downtown, consolidates academic research and medical education programs. An extension of St. Michael’s Hospital, this consolidation serves to accelerate the translation of bench-top discovery to bedside delivery.

Spanning a downtown laneway, light-filled, double-storey lounges encourage collaboration between the 400 cross-disciplinary researchers. A graceful wishbone staircase connects these informal meeting spaces and enlivens the streetscape below. Eight floors of laboratories benefit from expansive glazing, providing natural light and transparency while showcasing the hospital’s commitment to the greater public good.

Completing the connection between research, education and patient care is a glass pedestrian bridge linking LKSKI with St. Michael’s Hospital. The graceful tubular white steel and glass enclosure resembles a stent, a medical device for opening arteries. It serves as a symbolic and physical connection of the flow between research and clinical practice.

From expressive architectural gestures to precise stainless-steel details throughout, the building is a high-performance system. It fosters collaborative research and best practices, leading to discoveries that resolve complex medical problems in close proximity to patient care.

The institute has strategically and dramatically transformed the St. Michael’s Hospital into a world class academic health science centre. Most importantly, the LKSKI has been a catalyst in changing the identity of St. Michael’s from a local institution, to a global resource for leading-edge therapies and healthcare practices.