Akron Children's Hospital

As northeast Ohio’s largest pediatric healthcare provider, Akron Children’s Hospital is always striving to stay one step ahead of ever-expanding healthcare demands. Envisioned nearly a decade ago, Akron Children’s Hospital recently completed an impressive seven-story addition to their William H. Considine Professional Building. The 230,000 sq. ft. addition serves multiple purposes—providing a convenient, safe, and functional environment for patients and staff while also consolidating outpatient programs into an easy-to-access centralized facility.

Hasenstab Architects was tasked with creating a high-quality, patient-centered healing environment designed “through the eyes of a child.” Their vision for incorporating childlike features included utilizing vibrant colors, illuminated lighting and whimsical elements. When the time came to address key surface elements, Hasenstab Architects had previously found materials they liked but had found them to be costly and missing the functionality they desired.

In search of more flexible solutions, and encouraged by a strong relationship with Wilsonart’s local distributor representative, the firm turned to Wilsonart’s Spectrum series, Solid Surface and High Pressure Laminate. “Even though we had to follow casework standards established by a prior project, we knew we wanted to use Wilsonart in feature areas,” shares Carla Cremers, Interior Designer at Hasenstab Architects.

Each floor’s arrival desk showcases Wilsonart’s color-friendly design category, Spectrum. Utilizing Spectrum’s custom design alteration capabilities, Hasenstab Architects was able to find the perfect color. Pleased with the results, Cremers elaborates, “It was the perfect fit for our arrival desks which needed to be color-coordinated to color themes used for wayfinding on each floor. We ordered strike-offs and appreciated that we were given four ranges of color matches to make our decision easier.” The public café counters make use of Wilsonart’s non-porous Solid Surface in Burnt Amber Mirage, while the staff cafés and Sports Rehab cabinetry displays Wilsonart® Laminate in Veranda Teak, Wild Cherry and Bronze Legacy.

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