If you had to design a space that appealed to a 5-year-old as well as a 25-year-old, what would it look like?
That
is exactly the question architects, patients, volunteers and parents
have worked to answer for the past year about the renovation of MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.
Along
the way, they've learned that having access to an abundance of
electrical outlets is as important as hot coffee. Primary colors aren't
as kid-friendly as originally thought.
Inpatient rooms should be
equipped with more storage, and sicker patients want a quiet space to
wait separate from healthier patients. In addition, young adults want
their own unique area to hang out with peers.
Architects partnered with parents and patients to get the new pediatric floor design right, meeting with the hospital's Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Advisory Council and Family Advisory Council to get feedback on plans and concepts.
A bedside perspective
Lymphoma
survivor Greg Alquiza, 25, voiced his suggestions for the new pediatric
inpatient floor to architects at the AYA Advisory Council meeting in
June 2011.
"For me, I wanted to see more inspiring stories on the
walls about survivors my age," Alquiza says. "It's also important to
have creative ceiling décor in the rooms and large artistic structures
around the hospital that give patients something else to think about
besides their condition."
"It's great that we get to have input on the design," Alquiza says. "The hospital isn't really inviting on its own for kids, but if you can make that space more comfortable and appealing, then it becomes a part of the healing process. That's big."
This is just one piece of a larger story demonstrating how designing and constructing new buildings is a team-oriented activity at MD Anderson.
Read about this topic and much more in the Annual Report issue of Conquest magazine.
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