Project Brief

Diekema Hamann was hired by Sparrow Health for architectural & engineering services for what began as a simple refresh of their pediatric unit on the fifth floor of the Foster wing in their downtown hospital.

Diekema Hamann was engaged right away and the design process was completed in a record-breaking 4 weeks. This was accomplished by quick decision makers on the Sparrow team and good trust by the design team. Granger Construction was also at the table from the beginning and began demolition to reveal existing conditions as quickly as possible so that DHAE could provide solutions in the document set.

While time was of the essence, Sparrow felt very strongly that while this unit was under construction that we take the time to improve on any ineffieciencies of staff or utilities. What was initially going to be a refresh of finishes developed into a redesign of the core and upgrade to MEP systems. The nurse station was relocated to improve security onto the unit and support spaces were reorganized to improve staff flow and patient care. Sparrow wanted DHAE to work free of creative restraint, but at the same time desiree to produce a completed project that was compatible within the available infrastructure, operational philosophy and aesthetic theme of the hospital. The word of the project became: whimsical. All finishes were selected to evoke healing and fun! while maintaining sophistication and timelessness.

The project came in under budget and all alternates were able to be taken, including long corridors and an elevator lobby leading onto the unit.