Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Chicago, IL

Arkes Pavilion

We worked closely with NM staff including a user group from this outpatient behavioral health unit. Art selections needed to align with the NM brand standards and respond to the patient population that will utilize this facility. To create this patient centered healing environment, a strong emphasis was placed on organic regional midwestern imagery along with some local Chicago architectural shots to help establish a sense of place. The creative challenge we faced on designing this program was the request for 6, large scale murals to act as a wayfinding tool as patients navigate this space. Each of these murals was unique enough so staff could use them as reference to guide patients from point A to point B.  Once the imagery selections were made, we had them printed as vinyl wallcovering with a custom millwork surround to mimic a picture frame detail, and to coordinate with our other interior finishes.

Galter

We renovated three patient floors in the Galter Pavilion at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which encompassed a total of 116,368 sq. ft. and included 89 beds combined. In all, we specified 13 commissioned oil paintings plus 93 posters and prints. The 13th floor unit was occupied by the psychiatry department which required us to work with a specialized group of physicians and nurses to make sure that all of our images were suitable for this highly specific patient population. We worked closely with the medical staff to develop large scale nature images printed directly to polycarbonate panels which were built into the wall structure and then back lit with dimmers. This groundbreaking concept uses these art panels as a therapy, adjusting the environment from day to night, thus treating the circadian rhythms as a combined therapy for these patients.