The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital demonstrates a unique approach to high-rise hospital design. By moving to a neighborhood in downtown Chicago, the client wished to leverage opportunities for collaboration in patient care, teaching, and research with Northwestern University. This location, however, offered some distinct design challenges. At 1.25 million square feet, on a site area of 1.8 acres, the hospital required a creative approach to the building stack.

The results include a number of unique features, including an 11th floor sky lobby and sky garden, and public amenities on the 11th and 12th floors. Loading areas, in addition to the elevators and an entrance lobby, took up most of the available first floor area, the remainder being too small to accommodate the area programmed for the Emergency Department, which was assigned to the second floor. This solution improved operational efficiency in a high-rise hospital, through the standardization of processes and work flows.