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 Ronald McDonald House - Longfellow Park In an effort to keep pace with the demand, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) added capacity with a new facility offering forty-one guest rooms to augment their existing facility. The site occupies the southern end of Longfellow Park, within easy walking distance of the existing house. The new building occupies less than half of the 1.65-acre park; the remaining parkland was redesigned as a “Healing Garden” to revitalize and serve the Hospital Hill community. The design goal was to use the positive qualities of the park and the community to promote a comfortable, stress-free environment for the families of critically ill children. | Ronald McDonald House - Longfellow Park |
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In an effort to keep pace with the demand, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) added capacity with a new facility offering forty-one guest rooms to augment their existing facility. The site occupies the southern end of Longfellow Park, within easy walking distance of the existing house. The new building occupies less than half of the 1.65-acre park; the remaining parkland was redesigned as a “Healing Garden” to revitalize and serve the Hospital Hill community. The design goal was to use the positive qualities of the park and the community to promote a comfortable, stress-free environment for the families of critically ill children. Kansas City, Missouri The design for the Ronald McDonald House in Longfellow Park explores the notion of restorative environments as it aids to the healing process. Every aspect of the design promotes a stress-free environment where families with critically ill children can rest and retreat from the pressures of hospitals, treatments and the inconveniences of being away from home for up to six months. Likewise, the design will actively promote a sense of healing and safety via air quality, energy-efficiency, access to daylight, natural amenities, color, noise control, spatial comfort and privacy. The design is organized around a courtyard garden defined by east and west living wings and a central dining commons and roof garden. Given the House’s size and urban focus, the courtyard serves as an effective response to the site, creating clear public/private boundaries and transitions between the different house functions, adjacent park and surrounding community. The first floor is an open plan of light, airy community spaces and administrative offices tucked under cantilevered living wings. Its public nature is clearly expressed through transparency, open-ended spaces and inside-outside relationships to the site. 2007 AIA Kansas - Citation Award | Architecture "BNIM has worked closely with Ronald McDonald House Charities to help us understand how a sustainable approach to our new House can benefit the health and well-being of our guest families, and equally importantly, how it can improve the overall performance of the building while lowering our long-term operating costs. Sustainable design was a new concept to us when we started our project, but BNIM helped us make the obvious connection between ill children and healthy environments. Our new Ronald McDonald House will positively impact the children's physical and psychological health. Essentially, BNIM has shown us better ways to support families through smart and thoughtful design." | |
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Project Types / Community, Graphics, Interiors, Landscape Architecture, Not for profit, Residential Services / Architecture, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Planning and Urban Design Keywords / Ronald McDonald House Charities, Longfellow Park, Hospital Hill, Healing Garden, courtyard garden | |
