a friendly
place

children’s hospital emergency department

Part of a full integration of a children’s hospital into the HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Campus, a dedicated emergency department was designed to provide a calming and friendly space. The design created a more interactive and inviting waiting room for families and exam rooms for patients, all tying in the Children’s Hospital’s theme: Natural Wisconsin.

Facts + Figures

project size

6,200 SF

completion

2019

project type

Remodeling

location

Green Bay, WI

Project Highlights

Inspired by the woodland areas along Wisconsin’s Niagara Escarpment

Abstracted natural elements provide the space with playful shapes and colors

Taking cues from the Northern Wisconsin landscape, floor-to-ceiling forest imagery frames the space, leading pediatric patients on a nature walk from the hospital's entrance to the emergency department.

The waiting and exam rooms counter the stress of an ER visit with a peaceful and calming natural environment that appeals to both children and adults. Both lifelike and abstracted forest forms go beyond merely incorporating natural elements, and truly create a forest scene.

The waiting room greets patients and families with an engaging space to decompress and entertain children. An abstract stone escarpment houses interactive technology while a touchless game system projects onto the floor.

The play room’s focal point is a large back-lit tree and dimensional leaf ceiling treatment, adding soft light and an interesting visual element.

The exam rooms are set back from the waiting room and trauma rooms for reduced noise and increased privacy. Each exam room features a large wall graphic depicting a forest destination, such as streams, clearings, and pathways. Patients can also control their environment in the exam room with the use of adjustable multi-color LED light fixtures.