Since Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) knows that the bodies, diseases, and injuries of children are different from those of adults, it gears its staffing and treatments accordingly. Its buildings, too, are designed with children in mind. Toy-filled playrooms, colorful hallways, electronic games, and open waiting areas encourage children and teens to play, wonder, and explore; open, airy atriums soothe young patients and their families.
Special Design Elements
The recently completed master campus expansion and renovation of CHOA at Scottish Rite achieved all of this and more amidst active hospital operations. Eight color palettes now aid in the recovery and healing processes; vivid imagery serves as a positive atmosphere throughout the facility. Lighted nodes in the ceiling are painted to mirror appropriate department palettes, creating a more visitor-friendly environment and serving as a navigational aid.
Design/Construction Challenges
Unique challenges for the project included:
- Providing a temporary walkway to maintain patient and staff access to the hospital at all times (a portion of which was movable so it could be shifted as necessary), all while offering safe views of adjacent construction.
- A partial shutdown of the existing central energy plant, which was scheduled to change over to new cooling towers and relocate existing chillers. Multiple phasing, day-to-day schedules, and cost and routing restrictions required thinking outside the box.
- Custom headwall installations, which accommodated all power, data, and medical gas outlets using no exposed fasteners. These installations required collaboration from the start, including mock-up/design review meetings, end-user discussions, and eventual reviews and tweaks of the final design.
