Alberta Children’s Hospital
Located in Calgary, Alberta, the new Alberta Children’s Hospital is a state of the art facility dedicated to the needs of the young patients it cares for.
The Challenge
To design and implement the hospital’s new identity throughout the new facility and its three level, 700 parking stall garage.
Rising to the challenge included:
- Exterior signage and wayfinding systems
- A fresh internal brand, including signage, to complement the new architecture and interior design for the hospital's retail shops and pharmacy
- A thorough review of the donor recognition display
As a senior designer at KADG, Nando DeGirolamo was responsible for the design, management and implementation of this project.
Actions
Identity and Signage
A new identity and comprehensive signage program were created for the hospital. This included the design and implementation of a 300 foot long sculptural treatment of the hospital's name along Shaganappi Trail; both a main road in Calgary and a main access point for the hospital.
In addition to the hospital's new visual identity, a variety of speciality applications were designed and implemented to complement the new facility’s architecture and interior design. This included identity development and signage elements for one of the hospital’s new initiatives, The Mountainview Café. To make this new initiative a cohesive element of the hospital, a typographic treatment consistent with the hospital signage system was used.
Parkade Visual Design
Built to accommodate staff, patients and visitors, the three level parkade required signage and a wayfinding system for easy navigation. The hospital's colour palette was adapted to become a means of level identification, while childlike typography and vehicle icons were designed to match the hospital's design theme. The vehicle icons were also applied on a large scale to the exterior glazing of the parkade, providing distinct and friendly visuals for approaching visitors.
One of the challenges of the parkade's signage was to direct special use vehicles to their designated parking areas. Custom icons were designed to differentiate between handibus and standard handicap parking stalls.
Donor Recognition
An extensive review of how to display donor recognition was also undertaken. It was a definite challenge to incorporate all the different donor categories, information and identities into an engaging physical piece that would still be consistent with the hospital's overall look and feel.
Keeping with the hospital's brand colour palette, a colour-coded recognition system is now displayed along an equally colourful corridor. An LED heart which changes colour was designed to illuminate the spectrum of donations. This complete donor recognition package integrates beautifully into the hospital's overall design scheme.
Results
Through the use of a unified palette of colour and typography, the Alberta Children's Hospital now has its own distinct identity that blends seamlessly with all of the hospital's other design elements. Unique child-friendly wayfinding and identification designs were created for all levels of signage, resulting in a playful yet professional appearance. The sculptural landmark that bares the hospital's name on Shaganappi Trail has become a recognizable part of Calgary's landscape, easily seen from miles away and even from the air.
A Kent Allan Design Group (KADG) project.
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