Pixar-like, not Disney-esque.
~ Dr. Dan Weissbluth, Weissbluth Pediatrics.
Old-Fashioned Attentiveness, Forward-Thinking Healthcare Design
Pixar-like, not Disney-esque, was the mantra that surfaced from the start of the healthcare design of this pediatric project. Renovating a high-rise office meant rethinking an emerging practice as a branded environment. Patient experience begins online, is enhanced during office visits, and continues by modeling healthy attitudes at home.
Families find the modest-sized waiting room charming. The modern and clean design avoids pediatric design of childhoods past. This is a waiting room that considers functionality, form, and family. The check-in desk, warmed by natural and color stained panels, dips in height. This allows enhanced usability. Children can find their place while parents are welcomed. The flexible waiting room plan allows families to congregate in nooks or seating arrangements that suit them best.
The millwork wall becomes a curiosity cabinet, filled with opportunities for exploration and healthy reading. The wall forms two small alcoves nestling families, keeping children out of the fray. There are nooks for reading, relaxing, checking out Nemo in the aquarium, and cubbies filled with books, puzzles, and games. Planted nearby is a Tinkertoy-like tree, whose branches hold mobiles and Polaroids of patients. The website features a downloadable coloring page. Children can bring in their masterpiece on their next office visit to proudly hang it on the tree. The palette is comprised of a series of clear colors, fun, yet surprising. Charlie Harper’s stylized wildlife posters add fascinating details to each exam room, which have individual palettes. Playing with color and choosing art for each room creates a huge impact and adds distinction to small spaces.
Being Pixar-minded, the healthcare design of this growing pediatric practice is original and layered to work on both child and adult level. The family-focused emphasis enhances patient experience (adult and child). A new pediatric design model has been defined, where a responsive and intriguing environment makes the right first impression. The forward-thinking healthcare design sets the tone for a practice where children’s health and well-being are taken seriously.
Space is killer, parents won’t believe their eyes– and their healthcare 
~ Peter Anthony Jackson, Patient Experience Team, Weissbluth Pediatrics.
Read more in Healthcare Design Magazine.
Awards:
Healthcare Design Excellence Award, American Society of Interior Designers Illinois, 2015. Recognition of significant achievement in designing healthcare projects: award given for bringing modern beauty and design detail to a growing pediatric practice.
Owner: Weissbluth Pediatrics
Architecture & Interior Architecture: Architecture Is Fun, Inc.
Interior Space Planning, Art Procurement, Prop & Décor: Fun Finders
Location: Chicago/Illinois
Status: Completed 2013
Photography: © Doug Snower Photography
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