Children's Hospital Chiller

At Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, Barber McMurry elevated the design of a utilitarian chiller into a branding and place-making opportunity.

While the chiller was needed to improve the hospital's cooling capacity and efficiency, the building site was a high-traffic corner, presenting a brilliant opportunity for conscious design. Street-level windows allow passersby to see the inner workings of the chillers and pumps, which are even lit at night, while perforated metal panels on the building feature a custom motif of playing children. Further, the innovative design allows for heavy machinery to be moved within the building — for maintenance and replacement — using a built-in monorail system. 

The custom perforated metal panels are used across the hospital's urban campus to screen other utility locations, further echoing branding and assisting with wayfinding.