Texas Children's Hospital, Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower
Bringing pediatric care to new heights
- Client
- Texas Children's Hospital
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Size
- 640,000 square feet
- Status
- Completed
Children and families going to Texas Children's Hospital are seeking the best possible care and are in some cases up against immeasurable odds. The building is home to the hospital’s critical care, surgery and heart units, serving some of the most critically ill pediatric patients. Yet the space is warm and inviting—it uses bright colors, inventive wayfinding and comforting artwork to make this clinical space welcoming for its young patients and their families.
Our work on the tower began more than a decade ago when we designed the initial six-story podium building. Shortly after, we partnered with the hospital to design a 19-story vertical expansion to go atop the podium—making the 25-story tower the tallest children’s hospital in the world.
All in the family
Recognizing the critical role parents and family play in pediatric healthcare, we engaged a Family Advisory Group at the earliest stages of design. In-room storage wardrobes and sleeping accommodations, laundry facilities on each floor, magnetic marker boards in each room for notes to care staff, and lounges to help families rest and recharge during their child’s treatment were important and successful outcomes from their feedback.
While family members spend an extensive amount of time in the patient rooms and within the hospital itself, they also felt it was important for the staff to be taken care of. Family Advisory Group members were interested in better understanding what staff needed in order to provide the best care for their children as part of the design process, asking what the nurses needed to best care for their children.
The collaborative design process continued with staff. In addition to creating physical mockups of spaces, we ran simulated scenarios focusing on the ideal state of operations compared to the current state to account for rapidly changing technology and equipment. Post-simulation surveys showed an eight-point increase in provider confidence to respond to pediatric emergencies in the new unit, and a 10-point increase in provider confidence of minimized patient safety risks.
Top of U.S. News & World Report
#2
children's hospital in the country
#1
in cardiology, heart surgery and pulmonology
#3
in neonatology
#2
in neurology and neurosurgery
Legacy Tower is the home of the top-ranked Texas Children’s Heart Center, with expanded inpatient and outpatient capabilities to serve more children with critical congenital heart conditions. Atop the tower, a helistop—specially designed to screen the view of the pad—allows the most critically ill children to receive care rapidly.
This cloud-grazing expansion fulfills a crucial step in Texas Children’s Hospital’s strategic plan to bolster critical care services at its Texas Medical Center campus. Specifically, it houses five types of ICU units across seven floors, a high-acuity surgical center in addition to the Texas Children’s Heart Center.
Staying close to the heart
Texas Children's team of expert clinicians care for the most critically-ill children with complex medical needs—children who simply would not have survived just a few years ago. This tower allows Texas Children's to continue to deliver world-class care to even more children, in an environment that can adapt to the rapidly changing pace of pediatric care.
