Boston Children's Hospital | Two New Clinical Buildings on Longwood Avenue and in Waltham

Boston Children's Hospital, a Harvard University institution, has a mission to provide high-quality care and enhance the health and wellbeing of children and families. During the coming years, the hospital will undergo several transformation projects in support of that mission. For additional information please visit Transforming Tomorrow.
 
Art integrated with the architecture is envisioned to support healing, stress reduction and social interaction. Art-in-architecture commissions contributing to the healing environment are to be featured at designated sites and key nodes. A Donor Recognition Program will recognize the contributions to Children’s Dream Dare Deliver campaign, formed as a bold step in charting a new course for our children’s future. Priorities are: campus redesign, centers of care and discovery in heart, brain, newborn medicine, cancer and orthopedics, research across the institution, patient-family experience and community health––local and global.
 
Program Overview
The art selection process for several distinct opportunities, managed by the Urban Culture Institute, was conducted as a coordinated effort with Boston Children’s wayfinding, donor recognition, and art planning teams. Artists and designers were selected following a series of invitational and public competitions. The final program includes:
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Main Lobby Suspended Sculpture (LMA campus)
An invitational competition led to the selection of Soo Sunny Park of Dartmouth, NH. She is creating a dichroic suspended sculpture for the main lobby of the new LMA building.

Interactive Media Art Wall (LMA campus)
An invitational competition led to the selection of Jason Bruges Studio, London, to design an interactive media art wall.
Elevator Lobby Art – experiential graphics (both campuses)
Following a national open competition ArtHouse of Denver, CO was invited to create environmental graphics on designated floors. 
  • Applied graphic in any very durable material with option for recessed sculptural elements, backlit graphics or other media.
  • Opportunity for thematic development on different levels.
  • Environmental graphics that create continuity between floors, tie to existing themes, and engage many ages and cultures.

​Donor Recognition – plaques and donor walls (both campuses)
Following a national open competition Media Objectives of Chicago, IL was chosen to design the donor recognition program.
  • Two new donor walls, one on each campus in central locations, will recognize capital gifts.
  • Campaign recognition wall to recognize current campaign donors.
  • Individual plaque recognition program for named spaces.
 
New Wayfinding system for the Waltham Campus
The review of shortlisted firms for wayfinding at the Waltham campus is anticipated in 2017.
  • The existing wayfinding for Waltham will be redesigned along with systems for the new building. Navigation from front door to central check-in involves several turns and will be one major issue to solve.