North American Product Story

Vol. 1, June 2007

Making Waves - with unique acrylic

Degussa's ACRYLITE^® acrylic sheet offers flexible décor design

A unique acrylic “wave wall” was created to apply a colorful aquatic theme to the newly renovated café at Children’s Hospital in Richmond, VA. Designed by local architectural, engineering and interior design firm Baskervill, the tropical water motif was adopted to transform the dated hospital cafeteria into a vibrant café for patients, families and staff. Baskervill developed the innovative wall fixture to extend this design to the far end of the café, which is partially separated from the other end of the dining area by a structural wall. Seeking a transparent material for the “wave wall” project that could convey the vibrancy of ocean colors and offer a high level of workability, Baskervill chose to employ ACRYLITE^® FF acrylic sheet from CYRO Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Degussa.

A Beach-side View

Providing quality care while bringing smiles to the faces of sick children and their families is the goal of Children’s Hospital. Specializing in the treatment of children with chronic illnesses and serious disabilities, the hospital has made it a priority to translate its mission of nurturing and cheer to its interior décor. This objective was central as Baskervill set out to give a facelift to the hospital cafeteria.

Drawing inspiration from the aquatic theme running throughout the rest of the hospital, Joyce Foster, Interior Designer, and a team of architects at Baskervill sketched plans to expand the cafeteria space. Their vision was to change it into an open, ocean-themed café, complete with fish swimming along the walls and waves flowing from the ceiling.   “The aquatic motif is a central element of the entire hospital décor, and we felt it necessary to build upon this theme in order for the new café to have a visual link to the rest of the facility,” explains Foster.

Overcoming a Challenge

During the cafeteria expansion process, however, Baskervill encountered a major design obstacle: a load-bearing wall that could not be removed. This wall partially separated one section of the café from the other, creating a unique alcove. To extend the design theme to this area, Foster designed a visually intriguing three-dimensional wall fixture comprised of colorful overlapping waves.

The unique “wave wall” is fabricated with 0.25” thick 48”x96” sheets of ACRYLITE^® FF acrylic, which were custom-cut and routed into assorted wave patterns and connected to the wall from varying distances with round brushed stainless steel metal standoffs. This depth variation creates an interweaving effect while the incandescent lighting installed above mimics the sun shining on ocean waves.

Available in bold shades of blue, coral, yellow, gold, green and teal, ACRYLITE^® FF sheet was an ideal choice to meet the project’s tropical color requirements.

“The wave wall is the centerpiece of the café alcove, and ACRYLITE^® FF sheet gave us the flexibility to adopt bright colors that add a sense of vibrancy,” remarks Peter Winters, Owner of Presentation Resource, the design servicing company charged with installation. “The polycarbonate material that we originally considered for this project would not have been able to provide such intense color options.”

Colored ACRYLITE^® FF sheet possesses a transparent quality that not only alludes to water and the ocean but also interacts with the above lighting to highlight the piece’s three-dimensional nature. In addition, the light weight and durability of ACRYLITE^® FF sheet greatly facilitated fabrication and installation issues.

“ACRYLITE^® FF acrylic sheet is easy to cut, route and mount, which really helped turn the wave wall design into reality,” adds Winters.

A Refreshing Change

The wave wall has been a welcome addition to the new Children’s Hospital café. Not only has the fixture added to the refreshing nature of the space, but it also serves as a unique piece of artwork to entertain hospital staff and visitors.

“The wave wall continues the balance of color and form to both sides of the dining area,” says Foster. “Not only does it contribute to the fun of the space, but it also helps lift the spirits of staff and family members so they can better enjoy time with patients.”