The project delivers a consistent, site-wide natural theme, while still incorporating play areas which maximize therapeutic value for clients and their families.

The objective of the landscape development is to create a barrier free, welcoming environment that responds to the differing user needs at the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre and to create strong connections to the community.

The Exterior Therapeutic Play Area and Wheeling Track is an intensely developed, naturalized garden which provides a magical play space for recreation, socializing, nature appreciation, strolling, and contemplation for clients, their families, staff, and volunteers. Vertechs Design collaborated with Earthscape to develop an accessible play area with elements reflective of the nearby Hamilton harbour, including steel smokestacks, iconic bridges, and the colourful trees of Cootes Paradise.

The Wheeling Track is an attractive walkway featuring flowering ornamental trees which create a naturalized edge to this secure garden space. It serves as a testing ground for clients of all ages engaged in mobility training, including manual and power wheelchair practice, gait training, and biking/triking.

Upper floor terraces offer opportunities for play immediately adjacent to the program areas they serve including the Autism Program, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Outpatient Clinic, and the Children’s Developmental Rehabilitation Program.