Patient Observation Rooms at a Children’s Hospital in Pennsylvania

Photography: Jeffrey Totaro

Project Details

A typical observation room is lit from the ceiling, in this case with linear slot fixtures and downlights. The light coming from the ceiling is high quality and functional, but it is unlikely to improve the patient experience.

The addition of LIGHTGLASS luminous clerestories in 16 patient rooms adds brightness, richness, and character. The patient will feel as if there is daylight entering their room, which is proven to improve moods and healing times. Because LIGHTGLASS™ is constructed like a window, with aluminum and glass, it can create a subconscious connection to the outdoors in a way that traditional lighting form factors cannot match. The dynamic-white lighting provides stochastic stimuli for patients, family members and staff who are spending hours without stepping outside.

Stantec’s Philadelphia office pioneered one of the first active circadian-lighting applications in healthcare. Utilizing automatic time-clock based controls, the entire windowless Observation Department is scheduled to change intensity and color temperature throughout the day, emulating the sunlight outside.

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