Nemours Children?s Hospital, situated in the Lake Nona Medical City mixed-use development in Orlando, Florida, has set a new design standard. Led by architect Stanley Beaman & Sears, the new hospital and grounds are a testament to the term ?healing environment? – evoking a life-affirming quality sure to reassure parents and delight children. The project?s architectural solution arose out of a collaboration with Nemours? many stakeholders, including practitioners, administrators, and a family advisory committee of parents and children.
Photography: Jonathan Hillyer
The hospital?s philosophy is one that embraces children ?across the continuum?: from infancy to adulthood, Nemours cares for children with chronic conditions, as well as complex medical diagnoses and life-threatening illnesses. The children?s hospital campus is designed to both reassure and inspire, engage and delight ? and the investment in a landscape, in particular, reflects Nemours? understanding of the role nature plays in the life of a child. During the planning process, when core questions arose, the design team was inspired by how often the Nemours leadership asked simply, ?What?s in the best interest of the child"? ? cutting through debate and getting to the heart of their priorities as an organization.
The hospital?s family-centered care philosophy led to strategies aimed at supporting families from all walks of life: patient rooms with overnight accommodations for two parents, laundry f...