For Immediate Release: July 26, 2007
No English Necessary: HGA Architects and Engineers Design Colorful Schemes for Smiley's Clinic That Provides Universal Wayfinding for Multicultural Clients
Minneapolis, MN - The University of Minnesota Physicians' Smiley's Clinic serves a large, diverse population that includes non-English-speaking Somali and Hmong families. So when the clinic moved to its new location at the corner of East 28th Street and Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis this year, the staff decided a simple method of wayfinding throughout the clinic was necessary to best serve its clientele.
Architect Rachel Hendrickson of HGA Architects and Engineers (HGA) Minneapolis, and her team were charged with innovating and implementing a universal scheme for the clinic that would allow anyone-regardless of their language skills-to find their way. After discussing a variety of design ideas, "we decided color was the clearest, most logical and simple way for everyone," Hendrickson says.
The staff at Smiley's Clinic provides a full range of services for families in the Seward and Phillips neighborhoods, including general family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, chronic and acute conditions, social services, patient education, and referrals to specialists. The clinic staff organized its physicians, residents and nursing staff into three interdisciplinary teams. Thus, HGA selected three colors to represent those teams in the building, "so it's always clear who's doing what, when and where," she says.
The green, orange and purple HGA chose "are bold colors that the African and Asian cultures are comfortable with," Hendrickson explains. "They also contrast nicely with each other, and work well in combination." In addition, the main reception or lobby area is color-coded red. In each of these areas, the large geometric soffits over nurse's stations and color-coordinated carpeting next to the station signal the team area.
The clinic staff also requested a central gathering area in which doctors, residents and nurses could meet to discuss patient issues. To fulfill this need, Hendrickson designed a triangular "precepting" area-each side of the triangular area representing one of the three teams-in the middle of the 21,000-square-foot building, beneath an open industrial-style ceiling outfitted with skylights. "This central area forces staff to spontaneously interact," Hendrickson says, "as everybody constantly passes by this precepting area throughout the day."
Hendrickson and her team also used a cream-colored paint on the walls to allow the team colors to "pop." They also designed spacious exam rooms around the perimeter of the building that include space for interpreters. The existing building, originally constructed for a light-industrial use, features 24-foot-high ceilings with skylights the team integrated into their design to increase the clinic's sense of spaciousness.
"We've heard everyone is extremely happy with the clinic's design, and that the patients are comfortable with the wayfinding process," Hendrickson says. As the Seward and Phillips neighborhoods continue to grow and diversify to include families, students and young professionals, "the clinic has really started a name for itself now, and has increased its patient numbers by a ridiculous amount. People come in and like the clinic so much, they come back."
:: View University of Minnesota Physicians' Smiley's Clinic
HGA Contact: Julie Luers (612) 758-4000 e-mail JLuers@hga.com
Media Contact: Susan Evans, Evans Larson (612) 338-6999 e-mail susan@evanslarson.com