Understanding children with disabilities, the CEO of Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital envisioned a place where different providers could gather in one building with the primary goal of making life easier for the families of children with serious health problems. It was important, as part of the design process, for us to understand the challenges these children and families face. During our interviews, one comment really stood out.  It was from a mother who said that whenever they approached a hospital, her child would start to cry. Because of her comment, we knew that Children’s Village needed to be a place that a child wants to go to, and delights in during their visit. This comment became the seed for the Children’s Village design concept. Working with the staff and providers, they also told us that when they asked a child to draw a place they would like to go to if they were sick, most children drew spaces that looked like their own homes. As we tried to capture the imagination and spirit of the children, we presented a wide range of sketch ideas ranging from a space ship to a castle. However, in keeping with the earlier comment, a sketch suggesting a small town gathering of buildings with wood siding and residential elements stood out as being a design that the children could identify with. The addition of texture, pattern, and color variation, was then used to create visual entertainment to help visitors become more comfortable and relaxed.

It was important that the design of the space fostered a sense of community and encouragement for families struggling with what it means to have a child with special needs. If you ask anyone that has used their services, you will get a similar response. Children’s Village has become a bright spot in their lives.