Children are the most important asset for the society's future. They develop into maturity depending upon how they are moulded by their families, society, and the environment. They are very sensitive and could easily get influenced or affected by the slightest change. Therefore it is important to maintain a normal set-up for them under all of their routine and disturbed mental and physical conditions.Sickness and hospitals are one thing that affect a child's psychology. Children dread to get into the harsh technological environments of today's medical environments. Hospitals are constantly evolving to keep pace with the latest medical technologies. Additions or refurbishments or a totally new set-up usually focuses on the technological requirements rather than the human element of such an undertaking. The Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis presents an architectural opportunity to incorporate psychology of the environment into the design and construction of a new outpatient unit. By balancing the technological requirements with the physical and pschological needs of a child patient, one can create a healing environment more conducive to a rapid recovery. This thesis explores one of the possibilities of creating such an environment. / Department of Architecture

Hospitals are constantly evolving to keep pace with the latest medical technologies. Whether it is a refurbishment of an existing facility or the addition of a new unit, the design process usually focuses on the technological requirements rather than the human elements of such an undertaking. The Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis presents an architectural opportunity to incorporate psychology of the environment into the design and construction of a new Cancer Unit. By balancing the technological requirements with the physical and psychological needs of the pediatric bone marrow transplant and hematology/oncology patients, one can create a healing environment more conducive to a rapid recovery. / Department of Architecture

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / On October 18, 1982, the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana (RMHI) opened near downtown Indianapolis on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), located within walking distance of the prestigious Riley Children's Hospital. The Ronald McDonald House (RMH) concept represented an almost perfect intersection between philanthropy and families in need. Creating the RMHI offered the opportunity for individuals, corporations, and benevolent organizations to come together and build a "home-away-from-home" for the families of sick children. When the RMH idea arrived in Indianapolis in the late 1970s, a group of collaborators representing the McDonald's corporation and restaurant owners, Riley Hospital, IUPUI, and the Indianapolis community banded together to make it a reality. On October 18, 1982, after nearly three years planning, fundraising, and construction, the RMHI's advocates and their supporters celebrated the successful opening of Indiana's only RMH. After this momentous occasion, the RMHI's board of directors and their community and corporate partners worked throughout the 1980s and 1990s to sustain, operate, and expand the home they created for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at Riley.