Social Impact

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Background

Every year, more than 7 million children across Latin America are victims of burn accidents. In Chile alone, 100,000 burn accidents occur with the majority of accidents involving children aged 5 years or younger.

About 90 percent of burn accidents for children happen at home, even with parents’ supervision. Children are burned by hot liquids, open fires, electrical fires, fireworks and hot elements from heaters and irons. Recovering from a burn – whether small or large – can be painful and often involves extensive follow-up care that can take decades.

For survivors and their families, a burn represents a psychological, emotional as well as physical scar that changes everyone for the rest of their lives.

Project Overview

Transdisciplinary ArtCenter students collaborated as a unified team to envision innovative and cost-effective ways to create engaging environments and systems that will support a healing and nurturing atmosphere within the existing campus of COANIQUEM, where young burn survivors across Latin America receive treatment.

Co-creation was paramount to this project as students reached out and established rapport with a variety of stakeholders – pediatric patients, their families, doctors, staff and administration – to create feasible and practical yet highly appealing and connective elements that would present a single redesigned vision.

In Chile, students lived in COANIQUEM’S residential housing, the Casabierta, where burn survivors and their families stay during the often lengthy treatments and therapy sessions. Students observed the internal and external landscape of COANIQUEM, as they gathered field research, witnessed a patient’s typical day, conducted interviews, and brainstormed with stakeholders.

Discovering specific opportunities for improved design and innovation, student teams started their project work while in Chile and, upon their return to ArtCenter’s Pasadena campus, continued to refine their cost-effective yet high-impact ideas of reimagining the campus environment.

New addition outdoor play patio connected with indoor waiting space.

Ship themed occupational and physical therapy play