Facility: The Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health
Location: Bethesda, Md.
Architect: Poltronieri Tang & Associates
The Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Md., provides a home away from home for both the children who are receiving state-of-the-art medical treatment at NIH and their families.
Children and their families travel from around the world for treatment at NIH, the world's premier biomedical research facility. The Inn and its terrazzo floor are brightly designed to help engage children and put them at ease as they face daily clinical challenges.
The river was selected from a range of themes because it creates a playful and engaging path for children with its images of underwater creatures and a starry night. The floor's pattern also serves to connect the original and new wings of the Inn.
Since its founding, the Inn has served as a temporary home for more than 10,000 seriously ill children.
To submit a Last Detail case for consideration, please contact senior editor Jeff Ferenc at jferenc@healthforum.com.
