Mount Sinai West - NICU & Infusion

CANNON DESIGN

These newly renovated NICU and Infusion suites, constructed for an international healthcare provider, focus on bringing hospitality design elements into highly stressful medical environments in order to improve the patient and visitor experience. The overarching goal of both suites was to give patients and loved ones a comfortable, warm environment to promote healing without clinical distraction.

The use of warmer 3000K color temperature sources within all public areas and longer-care NICU patient spaces enhances the warm interiors palette and gives patients and their families a restorative feeling of being in a comfortable, home-like environment. Cooler 3500K color temperature is used in clinical areas and enclosed employee spaces for a brighter, crisper light that is supportive of clinical task requirements and high visual acuity.

Dimming and daylight harvesting are incorporated throughout, and control intent diagrams were presented to the users to instill confidence that the various integrated lighting controls would be intuitive and functional.

  • Decorative glass pendants hang playfully over the check-in reception station as visitors enter the NICU. A regressed perimeter slot highlights signage and warm materials palette.

  • Curved perimeter coves accenting key walls express warmth through the highlighted wood tones, and simultaneously act as wayfinding devices between clinical areas.

  • A continuous silicone jacketed cove follows the nurse stations while perimeter slots trace the core of the building, both providing glare free circulation illuminance levels.

  • The single ambient/exam patient light in each bay was a budgetary compromise; however, the vertical headwall sconce offers a glare-free secondary layer of illumination.

  • Nurses have full control over their station lights, as well as the corridors within their pods. Daylight dimming further reduces and already low LPD.

  • Perimeter slots and illuminated counter reveals, akin to a hotel check-in desk, were key features of this Infusion suite, collocating specialty lighting with upgraded finishes.

  • Large-scale direct/indirect focal drum lights in between screen walls help create a sense of privacy, with warm interior shades that soften the lit environment.

    Large direct/indirect focal drums texturize dividing screen walls designed to create a sense of privacy. Their warm interior shade finishes soften the (often hectic) lit environment.

  • Value driven flat panel 2x2s in clinical transition spaces allow for small lighting moments like the glowing desk reveal to shine.

    Value-driven, low-glare flat-panel 2x2s conserve budget where appropriate to allow for moments of visual interest at key points, like glowing desk reveals at nurse stations.

  • Individually dimmable fixtures provide adequate light levels for doctors to perform exam tasks, while also allowing low light settings to satisfy patient comfort.

    Individually dimmable, large-scale fixtures softly deliver adequate light levels for exam tasks, while allowing variable settings to satisfy patient comfort, the project’s key design driver.