Spectrum will add new front door as part of $190M Children's Hospital

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

By this time next year, a renovated lobby with simplified wayfinding will combine access to the planned $190 million Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, the Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center, and Spectrum Health’s Butterworth Hospital and direct visitors to their destinations. The goal is to create clearly understood “pathways” which will be accompanied by wayfinding signage.

“The biggest change is a simplified circulation route within the hospital where visitors can get from the Meijer Heart Center front door to the hospital front door to the children’s hospital front door without taking a bunch of turns to navigate,” said Lon Morrisson, Director of Facilities Planning and Development.

Although the lobby will get new flooring, it will retain much of its current look with original art, a fountain, and solid wood paneling.

“With the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion across the street we now have a tunnel under Michigan Street that will connect up to an elevator lobby in the front lobby,” Morrisson said. “Pedestrians can park across Michigan and get to the hospitals safely and not have to go outside.”

The design includes improved traffic flow for vehicles dropping off and picking up. The new oval shaped approach will accommodate three lanes—one to the children’s hospital, one to Butterworth Hospital, and one to valet parking. Two lanes out to Michigan Street will ease congestion for vehicles leaving the property.

Above the lobby in the area that is presently the roof, the second floor footprint will be extended over a larger vehicle canopy that will accommodate six to eight cars. Morrisson expects the new floor space will be designated for clinical use, but no final decision has been made.

Source: Lon Morrisson, Spectrum Health

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Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].