Playful healing
Facility: Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham
Location: Waltham, Mass.
Architect: Steffian Bradley Architects
The crucial objective for Steffian Bradley Architects (SBA) in designing Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham was to create an atmosphere that deinstitutionalized the hospital environment.
Consequently, SBA designed the interior to assuage kids' anxieties and divert their attention through imaginative design schemes and the inclusion of whimsical elements.
For example, the waiting area in the radiology suite features a nurturing atmosphere with a playful color scheme, an activity center with friendly and decorative creatures, engaging reading materials and curvaceous furnishings.
Soft ambient lighting also plays a key role in "de-stressing" the environment.
In fact, the lighting for the Children's Hospital Boston at Waltham won the Illumination Engineering Society of North America's "Illumination Design Award" for the group's New England Section and Northeast Region.
To submit a Last Detail case for consideration, please contact senior editor Jeff Ferenc at jferenc@healthforum.com.
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