Soothing solace

Facility: Fairview Southdale Hospital 
Location: Edina, Minn.
Architect: Perkins+Will, Minneapolis

Patients, staff and visitors at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Minn., seeking a relaxing, soothing space can find refuge in the hospital's simple yet elegant Elsie O. Mitchell Meditation Sanctuary.

The sanctuary was designed so anyone entering could quietly reflect and experience a feeling of spirituality by leaving the high-stress hospital environment behind, if even for a short time.

The space is a series of carefully composed vignettes, unified by vertical and horizontal shapes. The eternal flame is a backdrop for the water feature, appearing from a ceiling slot and providing soft, relaxing sounds.

A tall window contrasts the solid wall of venetian plaster with angled slot windows admitting small shafts of light. The prayer wall, a custom art piece inspired by the wailing wall in Jerusalem, has narrow slots for individual prayers and fills up each week.

A cork labyrinth anchors the central gathering space, and a vertical panel in the northeast corner points to Mecca. The soothing space is rich in symbolism, based in simplicity and provides a respite for those who need it.

To submit a Last Detail case for consideration, please contact senior editor Jeff Ferenc at jferenc@healthforum.com.