Stantec Designs A Child-Centered Hospital Design In Lehi, Utah

Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Campus, Lehi, Utah

Distraction can work wonders with kids, turning a stressful moment into a silly one. Never is it a more important tool than in a healthcare setting, whose tubes and alarms can be downright scary. For this 486,000-square-foot pediatric hospital, Page, now part of Stantec, worked with VCBO Architecture to harness the power of positive distraction in turning its five floors into places of discovery and adventure. The team gave children engaging things to focus on, making them more relaxed when they see a doctor—and helping them heal.

Taking inspiration from Utah’s natural landscapes, each floor became an immersive environment with distinct hues, images, and surprises. Realistic graphics on the walls of the Alpine level reflect the surrounding mountains, as do custom padded seating nooks in the waiting area. On the Space floor, an astronaut-themed MRI room lets kids pretend they’re climbing into a space shuttle instead of a foreboding piece of medical equipment. Elsewhere, zinc inlays of fish or paw prints in the terrazzo floor serve as creative wayfinding and moment of playfulness for kids looking down. Even a walk to the cafeteria becomes a game, with colorful motion-activated light strips that intensify and diminish as people walk by.

Editor’s note: See more standout projects from our Top 100 and Rising Giants of Design.

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