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pleasant, well-lit path with places to sit along the way? Revolving doors, in spite of their known ef ciency, have proven confusing to patients, and some hospitals have replaced them with automatic sliding doors. When entering the building, the patients should be able to easily recognize the hospital brand. In other words, the quality of the institution can be communicated through the well-organized nature of the interior environment, as seen by the ef cient and clear placement of signage and posters. The entryway should be obvious from the pathway. A greeter should be placed in a prominent position — either sitting at a reception desk or standing in the lobby with a tablet. In hospital design, some lobbies are overdone with triple height spaces immediately followed by public corridors that don't lend continuity to the experience and can give the impression this area was an afterthought. Seen less frequently is the entry followed by matching color schemes throughout the rest of the hospital. Some hospitals are installing kiosks where patients can register and be informed if there will be a wait time. The kiosk can also print a "You Are Here" map that shows the patient where to go next and highlights the locations of water fountains and restrooms along the way. Some turns, of course, are unavoidable, but it is best to make the path as straight as possible and the destination visible. The destination doors should never be confused with non-destination doors because of similar detailing and lighting. Rethinking the conventional wisdom It is also important that the exterior be perceived as an extension of the interior: lighting, seating and paving Photos: St Joseph's/Shai Gil; Nemours Children's/Jonathan Hillyer Clockwise, from left: Good lighting and environ- mental quality of corridors extend to high-tech surgery spaces to embrace staff at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Florida. Not all lighting is overhead in waiting spaces at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. Quality of materials can also be experienced in St. Joseph's Hospital's surgery department. 50 Medical Construction & Design | M A RCH /A PR IL 2015 | MCDM AG.COM