Hospitable healthcare
Salem Hospital Main Lobby
Mass General Brigham
Salem, MA
Salem Hospital’s new Main Lobby transforms a once dark and windswept undercroft of the hospital to bring a much-needed sense of arrival, identity, and hospitality to this North Shore medical institution.
The addition and infill reconfigures the main entrance, encloses the open-air walkway, and expands the interior lobby and services.
The new modern, light-drenched lobby was inspired by the organic and coastal elements of Salem’s past with a nod toward aspirational growth and a commitment to the local community. Welcoming visitors under a new canopy, brightly lit terrazzo and other natural materials guide visitors down a curvilinear path, centered on a vertical shiplap-inspired wood wall with brass details. Materials are kept light and reflective to make the most of the lobby’s limited height restrictions due to the untouched hospital spaces above.
Amenities like the spacious reception, a cafe, a boardroom, a gift shop, and a chapel were placed front and center, allowing those previously occupied spaces to be leveraged for patient care. The design of this space and resulting interior architecture provides a space for patients, families, and staff to rest, restore, and peacefully transition from outside to inside.
The completion of Salem Hospital’s Main Lobby addition and infill represents the capstone on a major redesign of the hospital campus that began more than six years ago. The previous redesign of the main entrance and lobby was initiated during Covid, which presented unique design challenges and considerations.
