The new North Druid Hills campus of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – the city’s only dedicated paediatric healthcare system – is designed to provide transformative care for patients and families, leveraging the latest advances in technology and sustainability. We were invited to participate in the masterplanning phase of the project and were retained by Earl Swensson Associates to continue into the design phases for some of the most specialized components due to our extensive experience in delivering complex healthcare schemes.

The new facility is indeed complex and forward-thinking. One example: the creation of a six-bed special care unit within the emergency department for the treatment of patients with potentially highly infectious diseases. If a case of Ebola or another easily transmittable virus is detected, this area can be rapidly converted from a normal emergency department to a sealed-off facility, where the flow of people, decontamination procedures and the removal and incineration of objects can be managed. Additional operating rooms to isolate patients with other infectious diseases will allow the hospital to continue to function during a viral outbreak – a consideration given renewed prominence by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta wants to solidify its reputation for the future, and a modern facility designed to serve Georgia’s children and families is key to that effort. They need a space where everything from mechanical systems to telecommunications is integrated and creates efficiency for all of its clinical team

Our remit includes the 19-storey, 446-bed hospital, with its intensive care facilities and diagnostic and treatment areas. We are also responsible for the central utility plant, which is designed for the hospital’s long-term growth, and will provide the option of powering the entire facility during a power outage.

The complexity of the project means the way we have been working – being self-sufficient and engaging with the client in a thoughtful way – is just as important as the work we are doing. We are part of a closely integrated, multidisciplinary team of consultants and contractors who are together shepherding the project through the design process. The construction and evolution of the campus will continue throughout the next decade, and we will remain part of the team as construction progresses.

Location

  • Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Client

  • Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Project Status

  • Completed

Award

  • Urban Land Institute Atlanta, 2025 Award for Excellence
Acres of greenspace
20
Hospital height in stories
19
Number of patient beds
446
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Image courtesy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

World-Class Medical Services

The hospital includes 446 patient beds, 69 emergency exam rooms and 19 general operating rooms and is the only dedicated Level 1 pediatric trauma center in Georgia. It has an inpatient dialysis unit, transplant services, infusion center, emergency department, outpatient lab and radiology, plus a Special Care Unit for the treatment of patients with highly infectious diseases.

Also included in the hospital is the Marcus Center for Cellular Therapy, an in-house lab that will facilitate the manufacturing and delivery of cellular and gene therapies, which are some of the most novel treatments available to patients with diseases resistant to standard care.

Each patient room at Arthur M. Blank Hospital features technology for remote services, multiple television screens for patient and family members’ separate uses and a digital whiteboard to show the patient’s care team and daily schedule.

Another key component of a pediatric hospital like this is plentiful amenities and spaces for the patient’s siblings, parents, grandparents and others that are there to offer support.

Patient and Family Experience

The hospital uses a real-time location system for medical equipment tracking, staff duress assistance and staff identification in patient rooms. When a clinician enters a patient’s room, they are identified by a pop-up message on the room’s digital screens.

The hospital’s second floor hosts a family center with a resource library, computer rooms and office space. Patient representatives are available to meet with families in post-care and prayer rooms for spiritual support. There are also laundry facilities, family lounges and kitchenettes on each floor, and each patient room has a sofa with a fold-out for parents.

©JEREMIAH HULL PHOTOGRAPHY
The hospital’s state-of-the-art technology is designed with young patients in mind, with features like calming images shown to patients above the CT scanner.

©JEREMIAH HULL PHOTOGRAPHY
The hospitals’ second floor hosts a family center with a resource library.

A Sense of Wonder

The hospital campus is nestled in 20 acres of greenspace that offers patients exposure to nature as they are treated, and patient rooms are strategically positioned to optimize natural light and panoramic views.

“There are gardens, meditative spaces, and play areas in the campus exterior, and there are designs in the hospital interior that emote a forestry feel to help entertain children and their families,” said Douglas Lacy, PE, senior vice president and senior technical director, Property and Buildings at WSP in the U.S.

The hospital’s lighting installations also help to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.

“The team’s lighting program for this hospital is designed to support wayfinding, but it’s also about creating a sense of wonder for the children,” said Lilian Fu, WSP vice president and national lighting practice lead for Property and Buildings in the U.S.

These creative experiences and interior design elements are part of the hospital’s foundation and will support care and services at one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals for years to come.

Meet the Visioneers

Douglas Lacy, an electrical engineer with more than 20 years of experience, collaborated with WSP’s lighting team and various hospital stakeholders to deliver a state-of-the-art, Future Ready® hospital that holistically serves the needs of patients and their families.

We hope the kids will feel like kids in the play spaces, libraries, child-life and school support spaces, while adults understand that the care environment provided for their loved one is world-class.

Other challenges that we have overcome