The Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies

Architecture Skyscraper: The Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies brings children's and women's services together in a beautiful, highly functional facility. Understanding that the surrounding atmosphere can have a dramatic recovery impact, this distinctive design incorporates a sense of serenity originating from a high-end hotel concept that feels more like a healing getaway than a hospital stay. This striking architectural structure creates a signature design for the Arnold Palmer Hospital campus and Orlando Florida skyline.

This project was conceptualized as more of a hotel than a hospital. With 11 floors and a full range of services for women and babies, this striking composition of dark glass and masonry towers creates a unique and signature design not traditionally found in the halls of a hospital. Understanding that the surrounding environment can have a dramatic impact on the road to recovery, this distinctive design incorporates a sense of serenity throughout with the use of soft, calming colors and tones. Housed in a glass globe with a spectacular cable-suspended entry canopy, one realizes as they enter that this new hospital is cutting edge and designed with more than just medical services in mind.

Ultimately, budget was the only obstacle that kept this project from meeting the initial goals outlined. The original design experienced many transformations. The client reviewed all the details, ideas, renderings and mock-ups. The actual project became a scaled down version of something comparable to a performing arts center or international resort.

Cove lighting is used instead of the typical overhead fluorescents, offering a softer feel and avoiding direct light above patients on gurneys. Several nurses’ stations are lit with fiber optics, utilizing various color options. Throughout the entire process, the design team strategically negotiated with each interested party. Our firm was able to meet the financial desires of the umbrella arm, the community and business needs of the facility’s managing arm and the functionality needs of the staffing arm. Ultimately the project bridged all gaps and found a cohesive, successful creation that served the primary interested party - the community.