MILWAUKEE, Wis. –The healthcare team of Kahler Slater received three ASID Wisconsin Design Excellence Awards for its work on recent hospital and clinic projects. All three were new construction projects.

Presented by the Wisconsin chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, the awards recognize outstanding interior design in such categories as corporate/office space, healthcare, retail and hospitality. Winners were chosen by a jury of ASID members from outside of Wisconsin. Projects were evaluated for the appropriateness of the design solution; functional use of space; innovative and creative use of space, scale and proportion; color composition; design elements; and commitment to sustainability. The winners are:

UW Health Yahara Clinic in Monona, Wis. (Gold Award)
In developing this new outpatient clinic, the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation aimed to change how ambulatory care is delivered. The client’s goal was to develop a unified medical home for the community, focused on health promotion and disease prevention. To achieve this vision, UWMF combined two existing family medicine clinics into a single facility that would provide healthcare that is safe, patient-centered, efficient and equitable.

Simple architectural forms are balanced with natural materials, dark wood tones, organic carpet patterning and hospitality feature lighting. Public spaces have a quiet, calm, tone-on-tone color palette. This allows special wayfinding areas, such as check-in and check-out, to be highlighted with accent colors for impact. Curving ceiling elements reinforce the flow of patients as they travel throughout the clinic. A wood-slatted feature wall in the lobby provides a separation between reception and clinic functions, while allowing openness between the spaces. Sustainable materials, such as linoleum flooring, were used throughout. The facility has received LEED certification.

Meriter DeForest-Windsor Clinic in DeForest, Wis. (Silver Award)
Kahler Slater partnered with Meriter Health Services to design a community clinic that would improve access to primary care in the DeForest-Windsor, Wis. community. Family practice, pediatric medicine, internal medicine and obstetrics are configured as a series of clinical care modules.

The interior design takes its inspiration from the surrounding rural South Central Wisconsin landscape. Rolling hills, tall grasses and the farming culture are visually interpreted throughout the interior spaces. Nature-based color palettes of blues, soft browns and golden tones permeate the finishes and furnishings. Patients, visitors and staff enjoy generous views of the outdoors from throughout the clinic, including public spaces and numerous staff areas. This region of the state is typically flat with gently undulating hills — the work of glaciers many years ago. The horizontal aesthetic is brought forth in the interiors, seen in the wood slat design at the registration desk and in linear wall, ceiling and soffit treatments.

Monroe Clinic Hospital in Monroe, Wis. (Silver Award)
The project consisted of a four-story expansion that connects to the existing facility and includes 57 acute- and critical-care beds; new and expanded emergency, lab, imaging and surgical services; a cardiac clinic and rehabilitation services. The facility’s design was deeply influenced by the landscape, history and Swiss heritage of Monroe and the surrounding community.

Farmland, rolling hills and country highways dotted with wildflowers shape the landscape in this part of Southwestern Wisconsin. This provided opportunities to develop interior motifs based on shapes inspired by nearby hillsides and flora, most notably wildflowers. This pattern of rhythmic geometric shapes also bears a resemblance to graphic motifs found in the traditional Swiss folk art of woodworking called “chip carving.” Local chip carvings were commissioned for placement in the hospital’s cafe, providing a sense of heritage and an artistic focal point. Monroe also is known as “the Swiss Cheese Capitol of the U.S.A.,” and the art of cheese making is a visual metaphor in the clinic’s design. Layered circular ceiling soffits pay homage to similar shapes found in Swiss cheese and take their cues from the shallow circular shapes of historic cheese-making wheels.

Image captions:
Yahara reception: A welcoming reception desk, warm wood tones, curving elements and open transparency between spaces at UW Health Yahara Clinic support the overall patient experience. A calm, tone-on-tone color palette in public spaces provides a neutral backdrop for local art.

Meriter DeForest: Finishes, fabrics and materials in the lobby of Meriter DeForest-Windsor Clinic reflect the nature-based color palette used throughout the clinic. Repeating linear ceiling and soffit treatments pay homage to the local landscape, carved flat by glaciers many years ago. Patients, visitors and staff enjoy exterior views from public and back-of-house spaces throughout the clinic.

Monroe lobby: In the lobby of the Monroe Clinic, stone walls blend seamlessly with the exterior building material. Garden views are available throughout the hospital. An 18-foot glass rain chain, fabricated by local artisans, provides the soothing sounds of water and, at night, becomes an illuminated work of art.