CHILDREN'S VILLAGE

Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village

Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach

Light, Color and Energy come together to craft an active and engaging experience at The Children’s Village at Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach. Filling a need in the community to create a place which will support a collaborative, efficient model of care; the new building brings a comprehensive array of children’s outpatient services under one roof.

Light is cast through colored glazing, boldly illuminating interior lobbies, and color becomes a playful and intuitive organizational tool. The new Children’s Village celebrates the energy of all children, and encourages heroic families and caregivers through dynamic, bright and active spaces, and playful, engaging architecture.

Working to fulfill the directive of the hospital to deliver “wow” moments for children of all ages throughout the building, the design team embraced the theme of Light, Color and Energy. Just beyond the serpentine drop-off canopy, a four-story wall of colored glass welcomes visitors to the arrival lobby, and brings a multihued, light-filled environment to each floor. Three glass-backed elevators ride along the height, allowing views to the campus. Extending along the north and east wings, interior pedestrian concourses are lined with full height windows, giving patients visiting individual clinics daylight, orientation, and views.

The 80,000 square foot, four-story Village brings together over 35 specialty pediatric clinics, allowing families to receive all their care needs in a single location. The innovative Village is a LEED-Certified building, bringing a cleaner and greener place for children and their families. A light-filled, multi-story lobby and full-height windows along main circulation paths bring daylight to each of the clinics. Multiple age-specific rehab therapy gyms open to a shaded outdoor yard, bringing healing outdoors. The entire project was developed with lean concepts, using pull planning across the entire Design-Build team; big room team coordination meetings; and the crafting of full-sized mock ups of nearly all treatment spaces, all within a 30,000 square foot outdoor tent.