University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital
Minneapolis, MN
Identified as the highest master plan priority, this children's hospital contains 96 same-handed, single occupancy inpatient rooms, a family resource center, a gift shop, and underground parking. The six-story building, located on the Riverside campus, brings a leading-edge pediatric care center to Minneapolis while supporting the hospital’s research and patient-and family-centered care objectives.
Key Features
- Interior design theme, “Passport to Discovery,” as an interactive wayfinding tool celebrating cultural diversity and reinforcing the importance of healthy environments and global interdisciplines.
- Decentralized floor plan reduces the travel distance of a nurse during a typical shift from nine miles in the hospital’s previous facility to five in the new building.
- Modified race track organization keeps nurses close to patient rooms, providing direct visual access to patient rooms and the hallway and decreasing congestion and noise.
- Patient rooms are right-handed/same-handed to encourage repetition and standardization and reduce the chance for errors and waste.
- Inpatient rooms, exam rooms, and procedure spaces are designed to accommodate and encourage family participation in a child's healing process.
- The massing and organization of the building reinforces the street edge and provides a prominent presence.
- Entry pavilion situated in a park-like setting greets incoming visitors.
