When young patients visit Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, scheduled to open late next year, they will be greeted in the lobby by bright blue watercolors along the wall that model the Mississippi River, an aqua blue pelican—both state bird and the hospital’s grand ambassador—as well as a wall of perforated wood with light shining through in the shape of a cross.
The nearby dining room will don hues of red and evoke scenes of the Gulf Coast with its crab and crawfish characters welcoming visitors. Meanwhile, the state-of-the-art emergency room will feature alligators and bullfrogs of the bayous, among shades of green and yellow watercolors.
Unveiling the hospitals interior design plan and animal ambassadors was part of construction tour officials gave to media members today of the hospital set to open in October 2019.
The idea behind the interior design is to highlight the various and vibrant ecosystems throughout the state, from piney woods, to marshes and the coastline, and feature animals indigenous to those areas—such as black bears, fawns, beavers and raccoons—as ambassadors of the hospital.
“No matter where you come from in Louisiana, patients will see a piece of their home here,” said OLOL spokeswoman Stephanie Roussel.
Hospital construction is about 60% complete, said Ben Gambrel, senior project manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, the general contractor on the project. Crews finished placing the glass along the exterior last week and have started drywall work on the first, second and third floors of the six-story building. The attached medical office is also underway and should be completed in the same timeframe as the main hospital.
The $230 million Children’s Hospital, spanning across 66 acres along Interstate-10 between Bluebonnet Boulevard and Essen Lane, will have 80 beds at its opening, with the potential to expand to 130. If necessary, the hospital will later be able to add two additional floors to accommodate more patients, Roussel said.
“The goal is for children in Louisiana to no longer have to leave the state to seek health care,” said OLOL Executive Vice President and COO Terrie Sterling. “We want to create a special place of hope and healing for Louisiana’s children.”
Designs plans for the hospital diverge from a traditional medical environment and instead envision a place of community, education, play and healing for its young patients. There will be an outdoor garden, bird houses and a pavilion to host performances, and each floor will include a playroom.
HKS Architects and OLOL team members collaborated to create the interior design theme, and OLOL plans to bring the animal ambassadors to life as wayfinding icons and cartoon brand characters, who will provide guidance and support to children while they’re being treated.
“The hospital was designed from the ground up for children,” Roussel said.
