Pharmacies
Laid out for OCP accreditation from the first drawing.
A pharmacy fit-out answers to the Ontario College of Pharmacists before it answers to taste — dispensary workflow, a private counselling area, compounding provisions, storage security and a barrier-free counter. We design to the accreditation checklist so the inspection confirms what the drawings already promised.
- $175–$350
- per sq ft, typical construction
- 10–16 weeks
- typical construction
- 800–2,500
- sq ft, common unit size
Hard construction cost, 2025–2026 GTA benchmarks, ±30% until a site review. Permit timing and approvals remain subject to municipal review.
What we deliver
One scope, from drawings to opening.
- 01
Dispensary design
Fill, check and release workflow, shelving and workstation layout, and sight lines that let a small team cover the counter and the bench at once.
- 02
Counselling and clinical rooms
A private counselling area with acoustic separation — and, increasingly, an injection or clinical services room — planned to OCP expectations.
- 03
Compounding provisions
Non-sterile compounding areas detailed to NAPRA-aligned standards for surfaces, sinks and ventilation, with dedicated provisions scoped where hazardous preparations are planned.
- 04
Security and storage
Narcotics-safe placement, alarm and camera rough-ins, controlled access to the dispensary, and receiving arranged so stock moves off the public floor quickly.
Approvals & compliance
Requirements handled inside the schedule, not after it.
What an Ontario pharmacy has to show before it operates:
OCP accreditation
The College inspects the premises before opening — dispensary size and layout, counselling privacy, references, sinks and storage are all reviewed. We build the checklist into the permit drawings.
Building permit
Interior alterations with plumbing for dispensary and compounding sinks; change of use where the unit was not previously retail or health care.
Compounding standards
NAPRA-aligned requirements for non-sterile compounding — finishes, sink placement and ventilation — with hazardous compounding needing dedicated rooms and exhaust scoped early.
Security
Time-delay safe placement, monitored alarms and controlled access designed in, not bolted on.
Accessibility
Barrier-free entrance, an accessible service counter section and aisle widths — checked at permit and at accreditation.
Cold chain
Vaccine and biologics refrigeration on dedicated circuits with monitoring provisions.
Professional design and engineering services are provided through qualified consultants where required. Specialized connections and regulated work are completed by qualified trades and suppliers as required.
Questions
Straight answers on pharmacies.
- What does a pharmacy build-out cost in the GTA?
- Typically $175 to $350 per sq ft of construction. Millwork density, compounding provisions and security systems carry the budget; a 1,000 sq ft second-generation unit commonly lands between $140,000 and $280,000 before shelving stock, IT and inventory.
- How long does a pharmacy take to open?
- Construction is typically 10 to 16 weeks. OCP accreditation adds its own application and inspection timeline, so we sequence construction completion, security commissioning and the College inspection to land in order — plan four to six months from lease overall.
- Do you design for OCP inspection requirements?
- Yes. Dispensary layout, counselling privacy, sink locations, storage security and barrier-free service are drawn to the accreditation checklist first, so the pre-opening inspection reviews a premises that was designed for it.
- Can you fit a pharmacy into a medical building?
- Yes, and co-location works well — we coordinate landlord requirements, shared services and delivery access, and have the same team handle a clinic and pharmacy fit-out as one project when both are planned.
Planning numbers in more depth: the full cost guide or a quick range from the budget estimator.
Discuss your project
Tell us about the project.
Five short steps. We reply with a real next step — usually a call, then a site walk.