When the expansion of the emergency department required the relocation of employee childcare, WellStar – frequently recognized on FORTUNE magazine’s 100 Best Companies List, as well as by Working Mother Magazine, AARP, and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) – seized the opportunity to create a new, world-class facility.
Arriving under a covered walkway from the adjacent parking deck, parents and children enter the new childcare center via a light-filled two-story lobby, whose focal point is known as the “Reading Stair.” This engaging design solution negotiates the steeply sloped site with a unified entry point, providing a more playful way to move between levels, as well as an added amenity and gathering space.
Building Facts
- 32,200 GSF
- 17 Classrooms
- Multipurpose space
- Indoor climbing wall
- 2 Outdoor play areas
Creative Care
The lobby volume is dramatically distinguished by expansive glazing and a clearly framed opening.
Cushions invite children to sit on the Reading Stair, whose carpeted area suggests grass, river rocks, and stepping stones.
The "Movement Matters" play area includes a climbing wall and ballet barre.
Sunshades and landscape slides turn the building's courtyard into a inviting playland.
The design uses sunshade louvers to create shade and mitigate glare.
Wooden louvers are suspended from the frame of the lobby volume.
Contemporary design makes a strong statement about WellStar's commitment to providing services and amenities that enhance the employee experience. Maximizing this narrow lot opened space to expand much-needed hospital facilities.
