Adult Psychiatric Open Unit & Intensive
Continuum for Adolescents
Size: 20,000 sq. ft.
ADULT PSYCHIATRIC OPEN UNIT &
INTENSIVE CONTINUUM FOR ADOLESCENTS
Honolulu, Hawaii
Ferraro Choi worked hand-in-hand with the Queen's Medical Center
(QMC) administration and staff on the design of this 20,000 square-foot
psychiatric facility with the goal of providing a healing, cheerful,
and safe interior environment.
Working within the confines of existing partitions in the Acute
Care Unit, Ferraro Choi used curved soffits and walls to break up
the "tunnel" effect of the long straight corridors. The addition
of strong colors further offsets the institution-like envelope while
providing helpful visual keys for acute patients with perception
deprivations. For budget considerations, existing furniture was
reupholstered and given new life using QMC's textile program.
Carved from three patient rooms, the Occupational Therapy/Day Room was designed as one unit that could be flexibly divisible into three
areas for meetings, lounging, eating, etc. Sympathetic to the existing
early 1950's architecture, new window systems were added, which
now pleasingly provides open courtyard views and affords natural
ambient daylight for both patients and staff.
For more information on the Queen's Medical Center, please visit their website: