The needs of pediatric patients, their families, and their healthcare providers are unique and designing these environments requires a thoughtful, layered approach to planning and design. Creating spaces for young patients goes beyond functionality—it’s about crafting an environment that fosters confidence, encourages playfulness, and offers hope in the face of uncertainty.
Caring for young patients means coordinating with and supporting the entire family unit. Environments should be designed to foster collaboration among large multidisciplinary care teams that are striving to treat complex conditions all while creating a comforting sense of home. And at the heart of it all is having an understanding and empathy for the journey these patients are on.
Family-Centered Care
Designing spaces that support and accommodate families helps reduce stress and fosters a sense of comfort. Providing dedicated spaces for family members ensures they can remain close to their child during hospital stays, which is particularly important for those who have traveled long distances for care. Access to essential amenities—such as kitchen facilities, quiet sleep rooms, technology centers, laundry services, and fitness spaces—restores a sense of normalcy and routine. Family members can best care for their loved ones when we prioritize how to care for them
Engagement for Multiple Scales and Age Groups
Child friendly, not childish. Incorporating engaging design elements for different age groups creates inclusive spaces where all children can feel comfortable. Interactive play areas for younger children and teen lounges for adolescents foster a sense of belonging. Interior design elements and graphics that are fun, yet sophisticated, help create an environment that appeals to children of all ages as well as their parents and care providers. Well-designed pediatric spaces should challenge the minds and creativity of children, rather than relying on very literal themes and designs. These types of spaces have proven to be more timeless, while also being appealing and interesting to teens and adults.
Safe and Secure Environments
Advanced safety features and protocols protect patients, families, and staff. Thoughtful design strategies—including controlled access points, intuitive wayfinding, compartmentalized units, and secure outdoor areas—help create a safe and reassuring environment. The thoughtful integration of weapons detection systems, carefully coordinated within the building’s design, enhances security without disrupting the healing environment. While these considerations may not always be at the forefront of design discussions, they are essential to ensuring that children, families, and caregivers can focus on what truly matters: the healing process.
Flexible and Adaptable Spaces
Flexibility and adaptability are crucial in pediatric healthcare settings, where needs can rapidly change. Multi-functional spaces that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate different medical procedures, varying acuity levels, family activities, or emerging technologies ensure long-term relevance and usability. Additionally, pediatric hospitals have exceptionally high levels of community engagement, often hosting university sports teams, music programs and performances, and large public events. Designing primary visitor areas to accommodate these activities fosters a strong connection between the hospital and the community.
Research-Informed Benchmarking
Leveraging the latest research and evidence-based practices is essential in pediatric healthcare design. Benchmarking against industry standards and incorporating cutting-edge findings help create environments that support the highest levels of care and innovation. By avoiding under-building or over-building, facilities are able to focus their capital on the optimal amount of patient-centered space.
Our team at BWBR is a proud member and contributor to the Center for Health Design’s Pediatric Environment Network (PEN). This network brings together facility directors from leading children’s hospitals across North America, along with select healthcare design experts, to establish best practices and emerging trends in pediatric healthcare design.
Operational Efficiency and Supportive Spaces
Strategically planned layouts streamline workflows, minimize travel distances for staff, and optimize resource allocation. Efficient design improves staff productivity and enhances the patient experience by reducing wait times and ensuring timely care. At a time when virtually all healthcare systems are challenged with achieving the right staffing levels, sound planning can help optimize staffing ratios and serve more spaces with fewer providers.
Dedicated spaces for staff respite, continuing education, and collaboration support the well-being and professional growth of care providers, contributing to a positive and sustainable work environment.
Centers of Excellence for Community and Regional Hospitals
When people hear the term Children’s Hospital, they often picture our large academic medical centers—massive, multi-billion-dollar towers in major metropolitan areas. While these prestigious institutions play a critical role in treating the most complex cases, there is a growing trend of dedicated pediatric centers within regional and community hospitals in emerging mid-size metropolitan areas.
Many of these facilities are co-located with Women’s and Infant’s services, including labor and delivery and neonatal intensive care units (NICU’s). Establishing Women’s and Children’s centers in these regions allows for high-level pediatric care to become more accessible, reducing the need for families to travel long distances for specialized treatment. They deliver critical care closer to home.
Resiliency and Sustainability
Incorporating sustainable materials, energy-efficient systems, and water conservation strategies minimizes environmental impact while reducing long-term operational costs. Pediatric healthcare facilities must also be designed for resiliency, ensuring they can withstand natural disasters, power outages, or public health crises. Features like backup power, adaptable spaces, and durable, non-toxic materials contribute to a safe, healing environment. Prioritizing sustainability and resilience ensures that pediatric patients receive uninterrupted, high-quality care in facilities designed to support both current and future healthcare needs.
Technology to Enhance Experience and Operations
Advanced technology is transforming pediatric healthcare by improving operational efficiency and elevating the patient experience. Real-time location systems (RTLS) streamline workflows, while AI-driven scheduling optimizes patient flow and reduces wait times. Interactive digital displays, virtual reality (VR) for distraction therapy, and telemedicine options create a more engaging and child-friendly environment.
Smart room controls, which allow patients to personalize their lighting and entertainment, enhance comfort and a sense of control. By integrating these technologies, pediatric healthcare facilities provide a more seamless, personalized, and supportive care experience for children and their families.
Final Thoughts
Children’s hospitals are more than just buildings; they shape experiences, ease anxieties, and provide moments of comfort in life’s most challenging times. Thoughtful design considers not only medical needs but also the emotions, resilience, and imagination of children and their families. Every design decision has the potential to bring a sense of calm, connection, and hope.
When we design with empathy, we don’t just build hospitals—we create spaces where healing feels possible.