The Learning Academy at WellStar Kennestone Hospital

, WellStar Health System

Marietta, GA

exterior view

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