Wilsonart Woodgrains™ help create a healing place close to home

Saint Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute chose Wilsonart Woodgrains as a tougher, more cleanable  and more affordable alternative to wood veneer, infusing biophilic design to create a calming care environment.

Before Saint Luke’s was built in Overland Park, Kansas, patients would have to travel hours away for advanced injuries requiring specialized treatment. Many patients with long recovery times were forced to be away from home for months. By bringing a space with cutting-edge technology and comprehensive rehabilitative care to the Kansas City metro area, Saint Luke’s Health System has been able to increase access to high-quality care in a welcoming environment that feels more like home — helping more than 1,000 patients return to their optimal level of function each year.

THE FACILITY

The new 100,000-square-foot, 60-bed rehabilitation hospital includes additional inpatient rehab beds, state-of-the-art therapy spaces, flexibility to accommodate advanced robotic technology, and large windows that provide an abundance of natural light to aid patients’ road to recovery. To complement this focus on wellness, this new facility needed surfaces to be highly durable and cleanable, enabling staff to provide exceptional care and help patients feel at ease throughout their recovery.

Biophilic design also played a critical role in the material selection process. By incorporating elements of nature into the interior design, the facility aimed to offer patients a calming environment that would promote stress relief, pain mitigation, and healing. 

THE SOLUTION

St. Luke's embraced the long-lasting elegance of Wilsonart Woodgrains to create a striking display of natural woodgrains across their campuses, as well as superior durability that stands up better than wood veneer to rigorous use and cleaning. The design team chose Wilsonart Woodgrains Walnut Heights (7965K-12), a classic species in a natural color that would blend with current trends in new construction areas and also integrate easily into renovations at existing campuses.

Wilsonart Woodgrains allowed the team to incorporate the look and feel of wood without the costs that often come with wood veneer, creating a beautiful environment that contributes to patients' everyday wellbeing.

“Wilsonart’s wood looks are very realistic, which allows a hospital to have a high-end look without sacrificing durability, wear and tear, and overall aesthetics.”

– Lead Architect Ashlee Deck, AIA, NCARB

THE RESULT

The design team incorporated Walnut Heights into interior millwork and doors as a critical design feature throughout the facility, including high use areas like the main lobby, ground floor, patient rooms, rehab dining facility and state-of-the-art rehab gym. Like all Wilsonart Woodgrains with AEON™ Enhanced Scratch & Scuff-Resistant Performance Technology, Walnut Heights is 16X more wear resistant, 9X more dent resistant, 7X more crack resistant, 4X more scratch resistant, 2X more scuff resistant and 3X more cleanable than wood veneer. With this versatile surface, the design team created a calm and nature-inspired environment for patients without compromising on the performance they needed for every surface.

“Easy to clean and disinfect, Walnut Heights with AEON™ Technology provides the hospital with long-lasting reliability and beauty. The customer service provided by Wilsonart is exceptional as they are quick to provide additional samples and assist with technical data,” said Ms. Deck.

Project: Saint Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute

Architect: ACI Boland

Interior design: Benson Method

Builder: JE Dunn Construction

Products: Wilsonart Woodgrains in Walnut Heights (7965K-12) 

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