Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

Palo Alto, California
Setting a New Standard

Providing state-of-the-art care to critically ill children from around the U.S. since 1991, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford had largely outgrown its beloved hospital building by 2006. It needed a significant expansion, but interrupting ongoing patient care was out of the question. We worked closely with hospital and community leaders, doctors, staff, patients, and patients’ families to design a world-class, one-of-a-kind medical center that would connect to the existing hospital building seamlessly, but without ever disrupting care.  

By the time it opened in 2017, Packard Children’s expansion had set a new global standard in children’s healthcare design and delivery. Audacious goals led to extraordinary achievements, from energy performance and water conservation to family amenities and educational opportunities for childrenTogether, we created one of the most environmentally progressive, technologically advanced, and family-supportive children’s medical care centers in the world. 

“The new building has been designed in a way that gives our family a sense of normalcy, home, and routine.”

—Jennie, mother of a 6-year-old lifelong patient

Patient-Centered Healing

It was important to recreate the comfort of “home” for the hospital’s patients and families. That’s why we designed a variety of spaces that allow families to be together and interact with each other, and their environment, in different ways. 

Every level is color-coded and organized by California’s six eco-regions—a child-friendly wayfinding strategy informed by the expertise of ecologists at the university to ensure geographic and scientific accuracy. 
Window planters brimming with greenery add color and life to each child’s healing environment while framing vistas to the outdoors. 
On every patient unit, two outdoor terrace overlooks—one dedicated for patients, the other for staff—allow for convenient outdoor access, fresh air, and a stunning view of the California foothills.
Single-patient bedrooms are spacious enough for built-in sofa beds that accommodate up to two family members, a dedicated family closet, storage space, and a laptop charging station.
Locally Sourced Materials

More than a quarter of the materials used to build the hospital were extracted or manufactured within 500 miles of Palo Alto. And many of the hospital’s wooden design elements, including an outdoor canopy, the main public elevator tower, and a series of family “nooks,” are made with wood salvaged from the iconic old Moffett Hangar 1—a 1930s naval hangar that once towered over nearby Mountain View, and was a landmark in Silicon Valley before being deconstructed in 2012.  

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
The main elevator tower, shrouded in reclaimed redwood, is designed to look like an enchanted tree.
Energy Efficiency

Compared to building code, the new Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is designed to reduce energy consumption by 38 percent and reduce energy costs by 45 percent. Compared to the average regional hospital, it reduces energy consumption by 60 percent.  

Horizontal louvers and vertical fins installed on the building’s façade correspond precisely to the orientation of the sun, providing shade to the patient rooms and reducing the need for energy-intensive air conditioning.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford is one of the world’s most sustainable, technologically innovative, and family-focused children’s healthcare centers.

Project Team

People
Lynnette Tedder
People
Robin Guenther (1954-2023)
People
Robert Goodwin
People
Laura Morris
People
Megan Koehler
People
Peter Busby