Supported entirely through fund-raising and volunteers, Ronald McDonald House Toronto provides a home away from home for children and their families who must travel to Toronto to undergo medical treatment for serious illness. Eighty-one family suites, a large shared kitchen and dining room, a library, and a fitness room are designed to provide places of comfort, security and refuge. Outdoor gardens and recreation areas are integral to the design of the building and offer respite from stressful hospital experiences and environments. The house includes a unique one room school for children of varying ages and abilities, which is directly connected to a garden and outdoor play area. Among the goals of this project was to integrate the house respectfully into an existing residential neighbourhood while also creating a unique, memorable Ronald McDonald House identity that connects to Toronto by drawing upon specific community and site references. The design process was a highly consultative one that included architects, staff, families, volunteers, as well as city councillors and neighbouring residents.