FAMILY MAN

How did you become involved in the Ronald McDonald House of San Francisco Foundation?

I was hired to expand the current facility on Scott Street in San Francisco. I designed an addition to the front of the building, which added a new sleeping room, office space and roof decks. A few years later I was asked by the executive director to join the Strategic Planning Committee with a group of truly visionary supporters. Then I was hooked.  I joined the board soon after and have been board president since 2006. It’s a wonderful, locally supported, organization with a truly compassionate mission.  

What is the organization’s latest project and who else is involved?

The current San Francisco Ronald McDonald House project is very exciting indeed.  We are slated to open a new in-hospital Ronald McDonald House at UCSF’s new Children’s Hospital at Mission Bay in 2014/2015. It’s a dream come true for us and the many families we’ll serve in the future. Our facility will house families whose children are so ill that leaving the building for accommodations just isn’t an option.  We’ll maintain our current Scott Street House while the new in-hospital House will serve the neediest families. We also plan to populate the new hospital with an army of volunteers and programs to help support every family, both local and distant, whose critically-ill child is being treated at UCSF.  While I have been very involved in the design process of our space in the new hospital, Anshen and Allen, the architect for the entire hospital is designing our space inside. They are doing this work for us pro-bono for which we are very grateful. The hospital will be beautiful, sustainable and state-of-the-art.  It’s truly a visionary place for research, clinical and scientific collaboration and healing.  

What are some of your favorite elements of the project?

The hospital itself will be remarkable.  Building systems, of course, will be cutting edge. But what patients will see and feel will also be very special and instrumental to the healing process. Public spaces are colorful, spacious, filled with natural daylight and provide places for meeting, talking and chance encounters.  There will be wonderful children’s play spaces, indoor/outdoor family rooms, and living roof decks teaming with plants and butterflies. What heals better than seeing a butterfly? Our space will be a calm and quiet, almost spa-like, retreat. There will be a large communal great room with a short-order cook who will provide families with free meals and small boutique-style sleeping rooms for parents and families. What might be most exciting is the density we are proposing in a limited amount of space. We want to serve as many families as we can. There is a great need.

How can a thoughtfully designed environment help patients and theirfamilies?

Think of the hospitals our grandmothers occupied. These were typically very alienating places. From the outside they embodied the worst of institutional architecture.  There was no comfortable place to arrive into or a chair to comfortably sit on upon entering the building.  Finding your way was all about signage rather than spatial intuition.  Once inside, there were endless, long, poorly lighted and lifeless corridors. Air seemed stagnant and windows didn’t open. Light and sounds induced anxiety and materials were dull and looked and felt nothing like home. All this added up to either an assault or a severe absence to our senses—making us feel dead, let alone like we were healing. The new approach is the exact opposite of that. It facilitates treatment and healing.

How can other people who want to help get involved with the foundation organization?  
Log onto our website ronaldhouse-sf.org or call us at 415-673-0891.

Do you have any upcoming events you think people should know about?  

In February our Advisory Council will be meeting at UCSF’s Mission Bay Integrated Center for Design and Construction.  This is a “temporary” 20,000 square foot design facility where architects, engineers and other design team consultants model the project and our new space in BIM all under one roof.  While the meeting is not open to the public, it should be a very interesting meeting to attend as a guest. Those who are interested should inquire. After that, on May 17, golf enthusiasts can help support the House by participating in our 21st annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser in Blackhawk. Check out our website for details.