Akron Children’s Hospital Outpatient Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, and Lobby Renovation, Akron, Ohio: Photo Tour
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: A new, two-story lobby and waiting area replaced the existing entrance to create a brighter and updated space to welcome patients and families. Playful wall graphics, including a Ferris wheel and animal friends, come alive when using an interactive phone app that’s accessed by a QR code.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The top of the grand staircase overlooking the new two-story lobby provides views of the rehabilitation check-in desk and exercise gymnasium.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: Floor-to-ceiling glass allows natural light to flood the exercise gymnasium. Whimsical graphics of elements found in a city park, including trees and animals, on the glass promote patient privacy and served as a positive distraction.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The sensory integration room supports therapeutic interventions with floor mats, adjustable swing mounts, mirrors, and climbing and sliding equipment.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The gross-motor gymnasium includes storage cubbies, a hopscotch board, and measured milestone markers. Dedicated storage for walkers and bicycles is provided adjacent to the gymnasium to reduce clutter.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The private treatment rooms are rightsized for patient interaction and include adequate space for toy and supply storage.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The sweeping drop-off drive and freestanding canopies welcome families to the campus.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Akron Children’s Hospital Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The exercise gymnasium was infilled below an existing neurosurgery intraoperative MRI suite which required careful scheduling and phasing to avoid disruption.
Gary Yasaki, Yasaki Photographic
Outpatient Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation: The corridors outside of the gross-motor gymnasium serve as an Indoor track with a motorized overhead lift for mobility assistance. Playful custom graphics on the walls and windows serve as a positive distraction.
Akron Children’s Hospital Outpatient Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, & Lobby Renovation, Akron, Ohio
Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio, had a rehabilitation department that was out of space, overcrowded with undersized rooms, and lacking in staff workspace and gym space.
During a 43,800-square-foot, multiphase renovation and infill project, the hospital sought to address these issues with one of its busiest departments as well as update the hospital’s lobby and exterior entrance.
Entrance updates
The main entrance of the hospital was renovated to provide a new exterior entryway and drop-off area, as well an updated lobby to welcome visitors and patients. The renovation created a brighter atmosphere by replacing the dark, covered drop-off and enhanced the wayfinding experience using colors to designate the building zones and elevators along with a collection of “animal-friend” graphics for patients visiting the hospital and adjacent rehabilitation department.
The outpatient rehabilitation department includes private and group treatment rooms, physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise and sensory integration gyms, an indoor track, and an updated aqua therapy space.
Interior design features
The design team, including architect and interior designer Hasenstab Architects Inc. (Akron, Ohio), met with members of the clinical staff to capture different perspectives and enhance the final design. Caregivers participated in a Lean 3P (Production, Preparation, Process) exercise, which allowed the team to envision how they wanted to provide care in the future.
Playful interior elements located in the waiting areas, elevators, and patient track include whimsical, interactive graphics (some even activated using a phone app). A pathway of terrazzo flooring features animal tracks cut from metal, which are embedded in the material for children and adults alike to discover.
Metered floor patterns designed in the gym floors support therapy challenges by providing specific milestones that allow therapists to set goals for patients during therapy sessions.
The project was completed in phases, and the design team had to navigate several challenges along the way, including reconfiguring a road adjacent to the facility from four to two lanes, and obtaining easements for the new drop-off area.
Additionally, the main gym was constructed below an operating neurosurgery suite, which required the design team to create a careful scheduling and phasing plan.
Akron Children’s Hospital Outpatient Rehab, Main Campus Entrance, and Lobby Renovation project details
Project location: Akron, Ohio
Completion date: Phase 1: July 2021, Phase 2 and 3: December 2022
Owner: Akron Children’s Hospital
Total building area: 43,800 sq. ft.
Total Construction Cost: $20 million
Cost/sq. ft.: $456
Architect: Hasenstab Architects Inc.
Interior designer: Hasenstab Architects Inc.
Construction manager: Thomarios
Engineers/consultants: BWK Engineering (MEP), Thorson Baker + Associates (structural), Environmental Design Group (civil and landscape)
Acoustical consultant: The Greenbusch Group
Signage, wayfinding & artwork coordination: PLANIT Studios
Art/pictures: Lizzi Aronhalt
Carpet/flooring: Youngstown Tile & Terrazzo, Tarkett Sports
Ceiling: Clipso, Armstrong Ceilings
Wall systems: Lumicor, Marlite, Ruskin, Skyline Design with Fry Reglet
Doors/locks/hardware: Horton Automatics
Fabric/textiles: Architex, Carnegie, CF Stinson, Enviroleather, Momentum Textiles
Furniture—seating/casegoods: Spec Furniture, ERG, Integra, Weiland Furniture, Arcadia, TMC Furniture, Sit on It
Handrails/wall guards: EPI of Cleveland, Lumicor
Lighting: Cooper Lighting Solutions
Signage: Signarama Cleveland
Surfaces—solid/other: Corian, Wilsonart, Formica
Wallcoverings: PLANIT, Unlimited Ink
Other: Wall protection – C/S Acrovyn, Momentum Textiles, MDC; Koroseal, 3M, Sherwin Williams
Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Healthcare Design.
