An active transitional zone between registration and waiting encourages play and interaction. Integrating visual and digital elements offer children a fun distraction and stress relief during their visit. | Photo Credit (all): Jasmine Anwer Photography
By Jolene Mudri, MBA, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP
In pediatric healthcare design, it’s easy to default to the assumption that a cheerful palette or playful artwork is enough to make a space “kid friendly.” But aesthetics alone do not meet the complex needs of young patients, their families or the care teams who serve them. A successful pediatric environment must do more than look good, it must function beautifully. It must endure. It must help heal.
Creating these environments is a design opportunity to reduce fear, offer distraction, and support physical and emotional recovery. That’s why the best pediatric projects are guided by a blend of joy and rigor. Designing for children requires us to balance wonder and whimsy with the real-world demands of durability, safety, flexibility, and ease of maintenance. It’s a delicate dance, and one that’s evolving in exciting ways.
Balancing Delight with Durability
Take flooring, for example. It’s often one of the largest and most heavily used surfaces in a facility, which means it’s one of the most scrutinized during design. In pediatric spaces, flooring must stand up to wheeled traffic, spills, repeated cleaning, and the occasional scooter or tricycle. At the same time, it plays a major role in shaping the visual language of a space.
At the University of Texas Southwestern Plano Pediatrics outpatient facility, Perkins&Will approached flooring with an intentional mindset: keep the foundation neutral and timeless, then layer in bold, vibrant moments through easier-to-refresh finishes. Accent walls, artwork, lighting, and furniture became the vehicles for color and energy. Each of those can evolve without disrupting the performance of the space. This approach gives the facility the flexibility to adapt over time, while still feeling playful and fresh from day one.
The Five Pillars of Pediatric Design
To design a space that supports children holistically—physically, emotionally and operationally—the team ground its work in five essential pillars: resiliency, flexibility, safety, durability and cleanability.
- Resiliency
Pediatric spaces experience high daily traffic and long operating hours. Resilient design choices help ensure these environments can weather the wear and tear without frequent updates. Materials need to be built for the long haul, not only in terms of strength, but also in visual staying power. In projects where renovation cycles stretch across decades, that means choosing finishes that don’t look dated in five years and that still perform in 10.
- Flexibility
Flexibility is vital in both patient care and facility operations. Rooms must often accommodate multiple functions, evolving technologies and shifting patient needs. Demountable walls, modular furnishings and integrated infrastructure create spaces that can pivot quickly without full redesign. This is especially important in outpatient pediatric settings, where one room might serve as a quiet consultation zone in the morning and a group therapy area in the afternoon.
- Safety
In pediatrics, safety takes on many forms. Physically, spaces must be slip-resistant, tamper-proof, and secure for kids of all ages and abilities. But safety is also emotional. Trauma-informed design—from soothing lighting to intuitive wayfinding—helps children feel oriented, respected and less fearful. Every element, from lighting color temperatures to furniture shapes, contributes to how secure a space feels.
- Durability
There’s no sugarcoating reality: Pediatric spaces take a beating. From spilled drinks to scooter dings, finishes need to hold up without looking worn. Durable selections reduce downtime for repairs, minimize disruption to patient care and keep operational costs lower over time. High-performing products with proven track records are worth the investment, especially in high-touch areas like floors, doors and casework.
- Cleanability
Infection control is always top of mind in healthcare, and pediatric environments are no exception. But cleanability doesn’t have to mean sterile looking. Through thoughtful detailing, like coved base transitions, stain-resistant textiles, and seamless surfaces, spaces can be made easy to clean and comforting to occupy. The goal is to meet clinical standards without sacrificing the warmth that helps children (and their parents) feel at ease.
Creating Escape Within Treatment
Children don’t choose to be in hospitals. Often they don’t entirely understand why they’re there. That’s why it’s so critical to design spaces that give them moments of escape, even within clinical settings. We must design environments that let their minds wander toward infinite imagination, not the medical treatment they’re receiving.
Biophilic design, or design grounded in our innate connection to nature, is especially impactful in pediatric spaces. Rather than replicating nature outright, the goal is to create an atmosphere that feels calm, familiar and less clinical. Whether through organic textures, filtered daylight, gentle movement, or a palette inspired by natural tones, these elements help soften what could otherwise be a sterile environment.
Likewise, sensory-friendly features, such as acoustic dampening, adjustable lighting and tactile materials, support children who are easily overstimulated, helping them feel more secure. At the same time, balance is key. Visual noise can overwhelm young patients just as easily as it can delight them. That’s why we always strive to create built-in moments of calm—neutral backgrounds, quiet corners and subtle transitions that offer a pause from the high-energy features around them. This rhythm allows children to better absorb and enjoy the moments of color and curiosity we design with such care.
A Call for Holistic Pediatric Design
Pediatric designers have a tremendous responsibility. Our work is more than bright colors or fun themes, it’s about creating spaces to perform under pressure, evolve with care models and support healing in every sense of the word.
By elevating resiliency, flexibility, safety, durability, and cleanability alongside aesthetic goals, we raise the standard for what pediatric environments can and should be. When these priorities work in harmony, the result is beautiful and it’s purposeful, powerful and healing. And in spaces where children face their toughest moments, that’s exactly what they deserve.
Jolene Mudri, MBA, NCIDQ, IIDA, LEED AP, senior project manager, senior associate at Perkins&Will.
