Getting colorful in design

Images courtesy of Eckenhoff Saunders

Advocate Children’s Hospital and NorthShore University HealthSystem formed a strategic partnership to expand wide-ranging pediatric care in Illinois. As part of the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance, Eckenhoff Saunders teamed up with Advocate and NorthShore to convert a former two-story furniture store located in Edens Plaza in Wilmette, Ill., into a new pediatric care center.

Visitors are greeted by a playfully designed crosswalk leading to a newly redesigned entrance and canopy. The 34,000-square-foot facility includes immediate care, physical and occupational therapy, an outpatient lab, radiology and approximately 30 universal exam rooms. Clinical areas are grouped into four pods distinguished by color schemes centered around various nature settings. Each floor has a waiting area linked by an open staircase within a forest-like interior setting behind the new multistory pleated curtainwall. The waiting areas include abstract tree elements, natural materials and spaces for kids of all ages. 

The goal throughout the project was to create positive distractions that encourage young patients’ intellectual curiosity.

WANT TO BE FEATURED? Visit the American Society for Healthcare Engineering's Architecture for Health Showcase to learn more about participating.