Rooms are designed with smart technology that facilitates comfort and accessibility for patients. Image © Tom Harris.
“Bring the right minds and passion to the table to achieve monumental results.” This is our advice to clients and, more importantly, to ourselves.
Innovative companies that collaborate across disciplines are the organizations with the newest ideas. Until recently, it was a rarity to see this kind of behavior as a healthcare consumer or patient. Six years ago, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab waved goodbye to “the usual” and set out instead to redefine the patient experience. The result is a unique model of care and a direct reflection of a truly visionary client.
Given the vision and requirements given to us by the client, we knew the best would come as a collaboration with another firm. HDR was the perfect fit. Their established practice in healthcare, combined with Gensler’s expertise in workplace and tall building architecture, created a powerful partnership for this game-changing hospital.
Each firm brought various expertise and divergent points of view. It was when we came together that we discovered more compelling solutions than either of us could have found on our own. The design is centered around what we collectively called “The Team.”
Cover image: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. The project was designed as a collaboration between HDR and Gensler, in association with Clive Wilkinson Architects and EGG Office. Image © Michael Moran.
The interiors are planned to minimize architectural barriers through frictionless design. Image © Michael Moran.