Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital

Cor Wagenaar, Noor Mens

Description

Replacing a much-appreciated predecessor that had served the families of Chicago for over a century, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital) left its original site and moved to the campus of its academic partner Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The proximity to other medical institutions, notably the Prentice Women’s Hospital, more than compensated for the disadvantages of the modest plot; its small size meant that the architects had to design a high-rise building as the brief called for almost twice as much space as at the previous location. Three firms joined forces to make this happen: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF) contributed their expertise in healthcare architecture, Solomon Cordwell Buenz their longstanding expertise in high-rise buildings and Anderson Mikos Architects their in-depth knowledge of the client, for whom they had worked for more than 30 years.

The architects used references to local history and culture to bridge the gap between the medical world and the living environment of most of its users, asking local museums and artists to contribute work for display in the new building. One of the five themes that give identity to the different floors, therefore, celebrates the city; the others refer to the lake, the park, the woods and the prairie. Part of the building is furnished with benches made of wood from trees that were planted on the occasion of the famous Columbian Exposition of 1893, which celebrated the city of Chicago as crowning four centuries of American civilization (thus combining art and history). With its 23 floors, Lurie Children’s stands out thanks to its architecture. The exterior looks like two stacked blocks, with the one on top slightly off axis. This is no coincidence: it marks the division into two distinct functional units. The lower block is dedicated to the outpatient clinics, diagnostics and the treatment departments. The two-storied entrance lobby was designed with a maritime theme in mind; the Shedd Aquarium bequeathed sculptures of a whale with a small calf that float above the visitors, and the café is shaped like a boat. The main traffic artery is on the second floor, which also connects the children’s hospital to the women’s hospital next door. The emergency department is on this floor as well, accessible by a dedicated set of elevators and drive-up ramps. Operating theaters, also connected by dedicated elevators, occupy the fifth and sixth floors.

The block on top contains the inpatient rooms and the family sleeping area. A large interior ‘Crown Sky Garden’ on the 11th floor, designed by landscape architect Mikyoung Kim, gives visitors and patients a place for distraction. Here, they can feel the sun and mentally escape from the hospital environment. Specific elements of this garden were added to the program as a result of explicit wishes by the Kids Advisory Board, which gave the hospital’s main users, the children who sometimes have to spend a long time there, a say in the design process – incorporating their views is one of the extraordinary aspects of this project. With a cafeteria, a conference center, a gift shop and a chapel, the 11th floor acts as a social hub. A glass deck provides a view on the Sky Garden from the floor above. Color has been used to help parents find their way to the department they have to visit – either the acute care unit, the children’s emergency department, pediatric or neonatal intensive care or the day surgery unit. Outside, color also figures prominently: the façade is enriched with LED lights.