Stamford Health, Whittingham Pavilion Cohen NICU And Maternity Unit, Stamford, Connecticut: 2024 HCD Remodel/Renovation Competition Silver Winner
Björg Magnea
Stamford Health, Whittingham Pavilion Cohen NICU and Maternity Unit (after): The new nurses’ station is brightly lit and has more discrete storage than the previous layout. The space also provides more seating options for staff and improved lines of sight into patient rooms.
Courtesy of CannonDesign
Stamford Health, Whittingham Pavilion Cohen NICU and Maternity Unit (before): The former nurses’ station in the NICU was outdated and limited staff movement within the unit.
Björg Magnea
Stamford Health, Whittingham Pavilion Cohen NICU and Maternity Unit (after): The new maternity rooms are spacious, with enough room for multiple family members to visit. The wood-like paneling (also used in the nurses’ station) conceals supplies and headwall gases.
Stamford Health, Whittingham Pavilion Cohen NICU and Maternity Unit (before): The previous NICU bays were small and cramped, with outdated headwall areas and limited space for parents and clinicians to be in the room.
This article was originally published on December 13, 2024, and is among Healthcare Design’s project awards roundup of 2024. To see a full list, click here.
Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., sought to expand access to women’s and infants’ services in southern Connecticut.
As part of that mission, the hospital identified the need to create a more patient-focused, hospitality-inspired care environment for its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and maternity unit within the Whittingham Pavilion on its campus in Stamford.
The project, submitted to the 2024 HCD Remodel/Renovation Competition by architecture and interior design firm CannonDesign (Boston), earned a Silver Award in the 2024 competition.
Prioritizing privacy in the NICU
Among the project priorities were increasing privacy and space for patients and families. Prior to the renovation, the NICU featured an open-ward layout with only curtains separating and providing privacy between patients.
Working with CannonDesign, the nonprofit hospital created a new floor plan with a mix of private and semiprivate bays.
For the interior design, the project team drew inspiration from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, incorporating soothing blue wave motifs around the central nurses’ station to evoke a calming, spa-like atmosphere.
Family-centered care environments
Additional new features of the renovated NICU include a circadian lighting system to promote the developmental health of premature infants by regulating sleep/wake patterns while also supporting staff with lighting aligned to 12-hour shifts.
The unit also includes a new parent and family lounge, which provides families with a tranquil space to unwind.
Jurors appreciated the project’s supportive and healing environment as well as the private patient rooms. “The blue curves in the flooring, soffits, nurses’ areas, and throughout made the space feel cohesive yet soft and serene, which I am sure the babies and their families appreciate. I like the colors of the wood, the textures of backsplashes, and the way the waves felt like nature without being too literal,” noted one juror.
For more on the 2024 Remodel/Renovation awards, go here.
