The Learning Academy at WellStar Kennestone Hospital

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

Awards & Honors

Merit Award

AIA Georgia

Creative Care

exterior view — The lobby volume is dramatically distinguished by expansive glazing and a clearly framed opening.

public stair — Cushions invite children to sit on the Reading Stair, whose carpeted area suggests grass, river rocks, and stepping stones.

children's gym area — The "Movement Matters" play area includes a climbing wall and ballet barre.

sun shades in exterior courtyard — Sunshades and landscape slides turn the building's courtyard into a inviting playland.

main entrance — The design uses sunshade louvers to create shade and mitigate glare.

exterior building detail — 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.

Advancing Mission Well-Being