Design Solutions - Spring 2008 - (Page 34) The Children’s Hospital 5A vAriety of mAteriAls were used to create the colorful and comforting check-in desk, including solid wood, plastic laminate, solid surface, art glass and stainless steel. A 6.6-acre park insulates the hospital from noise and provides a peaceful place to walk or sit. Patios and balconies enable easy access to the outdoors. Patients and families have a wide variety of retreats from which to choose. The hospital houses a day care center for the patient’s siblings. Outside is a garden where children can play. There is also a teen room with basketball hoop, televisions and games. Parents can withdraw to the chapel or one of the many lounges for peace and quiet. A number of artists were commissioned to provide artwork throughout the hospital. The emphasis of artwork is on depicting nature and celebrating the connection of the region. Realizing that color affects people in a psychological and physical way, careful consideration was given to the amount, intensity and value of colors used. The result was five color palettes applied to different hospital areas. The community palette includes clear, comfortable colors and is used in circula34 DESIGN SOLUTIONS tion areas and in the atrium. Inspiring, bold colors, with splashes of Colorado imagery, are found in the cafeteria. Clear, bright, invigorating colors are used in clinic spaces and inpatient floors. Quiet, calm colors are applied to intensive care areas, respite areas and the chapel. A more sophisticated palette is used in work areas and in the conference center. N at u r a l W o o d Light, durable Select White Maple is the predominant wood used for the project. This choice “helps reinforce a positive and uplifting environment,” says Schein. Paired with the Maple is Cherry to help indicate public spaces such as the chapel and child play areas. “The lightness of the Maple wood gives the areas a warm, open, homey feel while the Cherry wood provides richness and depth, thus creating an interesting color, pattern and texture combination in the spaces,” explains Patricia Frisoni, Architectural Lead for I Spring 2008
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