Health Care Facilities

Project Profile: Seattle Children’s Hospital Buildings Care (Forest B Building)

The roof of the hospital contains three loud chillers, various other mechanical equipment and a helipad.

Engineering firm: Stantec
2023 MEP Giants rank: 9
Project: Seattle Children’s Hospital Buildings Care (Forest B Building)
Location: Seattle, WA, United States
Building type: Hospital/health care facility
Project type: New construction
Engineering services: Electrical, power; lighting; technology, acoustical consulting
Project timeline: May 2017 to April 2022

Welcoming check-in at the new state-of-the-art facility specifically designed for transformative, patient-centered care. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider
Welcoming check-in at the new state-of-the-art facility specifically designed for transformative, patient-centered care. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider

Challenges

Families have a variety of waiting and respite spaces throughout the facility. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider
Families have a variety of waiting and respite spaces throughout the facility. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider

The main acoustical challenge on this project was mechanical noise. The roof of the hospital contains three loud chillers, various other mechanical equipment, and a helipad. In addition to considering the noise disruption to the patients in the rooms on the top floor, our team thought about the patients exiting the helicopter who had to pass by the loud machinery to enter the hospital, as well as the noise to the neighborhood surrounding the hospital.

Illuminated graphic portals serve as landmarks and playful moments. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider
Illuminated graphic portals serve as landmarks and playful moments. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider

Solutions

This three-level atrium greets families and visitors with warmth and care. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider
This three-level atrium greets families and visitors with warmth and care. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider

After taking all these acoustical factors into consideration and doing calculations to get a sense of the effects of the noise, we presented our findings to the clients and helped them make the best decision for their building. Ultimately, the owners decided to purchase quieter chillers to minimize the noise to the patients and the neighborhood. This is truly designing with community in mind. Our team put themselves in the place of a child patient in a top floor hospital room and a homeowner living down the street from the facility to come up with the perfect solution that balanced everyone’s needs and factored in everyone’s comfort.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass walls bring in natural light and connect patients, visitors and care team members to the outdoors. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider
Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass walls bring in natural light and connect patients, visitors and care team members to the outdoors. Credit: Architecture by ZGF. Photography by Ben Benschneider