Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas, Chicago: Photo Tour
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: A new lounge offers a variety of seating types, from lounge chairs to sofas and barstools. Older siblings of the families of NICU patients are encouraged to play in an area filled with games and activities.
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: Renovating and expanding the NICU visitor and family lounge to provide an uplifting environment for respite, rejuvenation, and social connection benefits the babies and their families.
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: The design team renovated the space—separated from the sensitive environment of the NICU by only a wall—all while the hospital was fully operational.
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: A spacious kitchen with bar seating allows for meals to be brought in or for families to prepare and store food. The design team selected overall color schemes and materials that create an environment of joy and cheer. A translucent visual screen shows colors from all angles and a mix of metals creates a modern hospitality-like feel.
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: A quiet hallway with whimsical wallcoverings connects the sleep suites. Parents who stay in the five rooms have access to shared toilet/shower facilities. Northwestern Medicine estimates 1,600 overnight check-ins in the sleep suite in the first year.
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: The five new sleep rooms borrow from hospitality design to provide a comfortable space for parents to rest and reset. Studies have shown that NICU health outcomes improve when parents can spend more time in the hospital with their baby.
Photo credit © 2023 BALLOGG PHOTOGRAPHY
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas: Before the addition of the new sleep suite, parents with children at Prentice Women’s Hospital had to travel several blocks to the Ronald McDonald House for sleeping accommodations.
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas, Chicago
The renovated respite lounge and new sleep suite at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago provide comforting amenities for families with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The project is part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room programs.
With a goal of keeping families together during critical care experiences, SmithGroup (Chicago) teamed with Northwestern Medicine (Chicago), Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (Hines, Ill.), and HGTV designer Jennifer Bertrand to transform an uninspiring family and visitor lounge on the hospital’s 10th floor into a bright and welcoming space for families to connect and support one another, eat a meal, or take a break and relax.
Support space for patient families
The lounge features an expansive kitchen and flexible seating options. A play area for children provides family respite, socialization, and childcare.
In addition to renovating the family and visitor lounge, the 2,500-square-foot project also added an amenity that was not offered previously: a sleep suite with five rooms for overnight stays. Before the sleep suite opened in August 2022, parents had to travel several blocks from the hospital for overnight accommodation—now they can remain close to their babies.
Located down a quiet hallway, the rooms with queen-size beds each have a sink and breast pump, while all the rooms have shared toilet/shower facilities.
Interior design features
The updated spaces have a cozy, contemporary design that’s meant to provide a home away from home, a welcome contrast to the clinical setting of the NICU. A lighted sign greets visitors with a friendly “Hello.”
Custom-designed wallcoverings in the lounge and hallway are illustrated with whimsical shapes, stars, plants, and insects and are punctuated by pops of color and 3D donor-recognition artwork.
The thoughtful design and focus on infant proximity reinforce the hospital’s commitment to providing exceptional care and support in a space that places the needs of families first.
For a look at another Ronald McDonald House Charities project, read here.
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, NICU Ronald McDonald Family Areas project details
Location: Chicago
Completion date: August 2022
Owner: Northwestern Medicine
Total building area: 2,500 sq. ft.
Total construction cost: Not disclosed
Cost/sq. ft.: Not disclosed
Architect: SmithGroup
Interior designer: SmithGroup
General contractor: Gilbane Building Company
Engineer: Environmental Systems Design
Builder: Gilbane Building Company
Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Healthcare Design.
