ZGF Architects’ Randall Children’s Hospital Celebrates Healing Through Sustainable Design

<a href="http://www.zgf.com/">ZGF Architects</a> recently added yet another sustainable building to their resume in Portland, Oregon. The new <a href="http://www.legacyhealth.org/en/locations/hospitals/randall-childrens-hospital-at-legacy-emanuel.aspx">Randall Children’s Hospital</a> at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center is a 334,000 square foot facility that boasts sustainable interior design and green roof terraces among other environmentally friendly building strategies. This nine story building houses 165 hospital beds for neonatal intensive care, pediatric care, and acute care. It also provides Portland with a children’s cancer and blood disorder unit, a new children’s emergency department, and a surgery unit.

The main design focus for the Randall Children’s Hospital was to enhance the sense of place for the Legacy Emanuel campus. This involved creating comfortable a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/hopital-universitaire-de-mirebalais-will-be-the-worlds-largest-solar-powered-hospital/">healing environment</a> for the children and their families that is full of inspiration and distraction.

The third floor of the Randall Children’s Hospital extends out to a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/lush-garden-wrapped-sportplaza-mercator-also-boasts-a-green-roof-in-amsterdam/">terrace garden</a> and provides a space for contemplation and reflection. This roof terrace includes beautiful views, artistic sculptures, and skylights for the floor below

The exterior envelope is highly insulative and incorporates high-performing thermal materials that allow it to exceed the Oregon Energy Code.

The interiors are rich with imagery in order to inspire healing and celebrate the Portland region. Views from the building are magnificent.

The project's interior sealants, adhesives, and paints also have low or zero VOC content. This provides much healthier interior air quality for the occupants.

Curving lines soften the building's interior and transform what could have been a typical sterile hospital into a family friendly space.

Materials such as steel, aluminum curtain walls, acoustic tile, and terrazzo counters all have high <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=recycled+content">recycled content</a>, which helps lower the carbon footprint of the building.