Early schematics of the Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan were unveiled Thursday, giving students and residents of Saskatoon their first look at the $230-million addition to the Royal University Hospital.

At the unveiling, the provincial government announced its approval of the design and committed an additional $15.5 million, boosting its total investment up to $215.5 million.

“The project team did a phenomenal job of helping patients, families, staff and health professionals rethink how best to meet the health needs of our province’s children and expecting mothers,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said at the announcement.

During two week-long sessions, teams of patients, families, health staff and physicians created design concepts that included two-dimensional floor plans, three-dimensional table top models and life-sized mock-ups of several rooms.

Rendering of the proposed Children's Hospital

That work resulted in an overall design concept that architects used to create the actual floor plans.

The goal was to create an innovative facility that puts patients first, Duncan said.

The Saskatoon Health Region expects to earn $13 million in interest through its investment of the earmarked funds. The remaining $1.4 million will be funded through the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan.

The new facility will be located along the riverbank next to the Dubé Centre for Mental Health. Construction is slated for early 2014 with a completion date of late 2016.

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Photo: Saskatoon Health Region