Each floor of the 12-story expansion at Children’s Hospital features artwork and imagery of popular destinations and activities in the adjacent Forest Park. Themes include:
- Zoo animals (The St. Louis Zoo)
- Outer space (The Science Center)
- Flying kites
- Hot air balloons (The Great Forest Park Balloon Race)
- Bicycling
Our objective was to create positive distraction and engage the hospital’s diverse populations with artwork that represents Forest Park’s popular cultural destinations and leisure activities.
The light-filled private inpatient rooms overlook the urban park and the bustling neighborhood of the Central West End. With nature as living artwork ARCH expanded upon the concepts of nature-based local art to create an uplifting, enriching, and engaging environment.
On each floor, we incorporated unique pieces tied to the floor’s theme. For the boathouse-themed floor, ARCH commissioned a custom crayon mosaic of a koi fish pond. Artist Herb Williams recreated the magical nature scene out of actual crayons. For the Zoo themed floor, we commissioned custom paintings by animals from the St. Louis Zoo, which are displayed next to a video showing the “local artists” at work.
Warm, wood-look metal frames and white, fire-retardant backing helped create a consistent, contemporary look throughout while adhering to the fire code. Finally, a series of custom collages unified the distinct visual elements: graphics, illustration, and photography.
