UC Davis Children ’ s Surgery Center
Architect : HGA Location : Sacramento Year completed : 2019
Designing a health care space for pediatric patients requires a different approach ; their needs are more family centric and different from adults in scale , programming and support services . Architecture firm HGA took that to heart when creating the new space for the UC Davis Children ’ s Surgery Center in Sacramento . Before starting , the architects met with a child life specialist from UC Davis , whose role is to help pediatric patients and their families cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness and injury . “ They know their patient types very well , so we worked with them early on in the process ,” says HGA Health Care Principal Greg Osecheck . “ They spoke to the needs of pediatric patients and what the space should look and feel like .”
A unique pediatric necessity was the ability to quickly change the temperature in an operating room to meet the needs of the tiniest patients . “ Using computational fluid dynamic modeling , we were able to design a system to ensure we could make that happen for the client in all of the ORs ,” Osecheck says .
HGA also added a unique programmable technology on both floors they dubbed “ the river ,” which is tucked up in the ceiling as recessed cove lighting that can be programmed to a variety of colors . When pediatric patients are wheeled down the hallway from the pre-operation space to the operating room , they can have their favorite color displayed . “ The technology is intended to help calm nerves and even provide some control over what ’ s going on ,” Osecheck says .
In addition to designing a new waiting room and pre-op and post-op recovery bays , the project called for new department offices , as well as some faculty spaces to meet the needs of the teaching hospital . All the operating rooms are integrated with live video feeds that can be watched from the adjacent collaboration room by students in training .
HGA used soft curves and shapes like they would in an adult environment , but also incorporated brighter colors and different patterns and playfulness . For example , the waiting room has whimsical cutouts that children can climb into when they are visiting the center . Low , rounded seating with fun patterns is right-sized for young patients . The design is centered around providing positive distractions for pediatric patients , and easing any nervousness or anxiety they or their families may have .
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