Creating An Age Appropriate + Adaptive Environment

The new Children’s Specialized Union Outpatient center is a holistic, playful experience designed with wayfinding and clinical flexibility as key priorities. The three-story center includes outpatient services such as Primary Care, Physiatry, Neurology, Psychology, and Physical Therapy in addition to a conference center for staff and public use.

One of the signatures of the healthcare system’s brand is the ability to provide experiences that are age-appropriate across their patient population. With this in mind, the design focuses on the use of bright, bold materials, emphasized scale, and form and pattern in lieu of specific childlike themes. The public areas are designed to offer a playful environment with a wide range of seating options while maintaining operational needs and patient privacy. This approach is carried throughout the clinical areas as well where treatment areas and Care Team stations utilize playful design, color and materiality creating a less clinical experience that is also very functional for the staff and reinforces wayfinding.