With less than one month until its official opening, the two-story atrium, shining new equipment, brightly lit patient rooms and 348 beds in the new C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital building remain untouched.

However, the halls of the 1.1 million square-foot facility bustled with activity yesterday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as hundreds of visitors explored the building during the hospital’s open house.

The event was designed to show off the new building and allowed patients to tour the 12-story inpatient tower, which is slated to officially open Dec. 4. The new facility cost $754 million and took five years to construct.

Yesterday’s event featured musical entertainment, injury prevention stations, dog visits with patients and an eco-friendly green station to educate visitors about the sustainable aspects of the hospital. Children were also kept busy with a treasure hunt, a giant version of the game Operation in the operating rooms, obstacle courses and visits with Ronald McDonald. Those who entered the lobby at 11 a.m. were also met by a flash mob, designed to set the joyful tone for the day.

The open house was intended to showcase one of the goals for the development of the new hospital — a commitment to patient care and creating positive experiences for families who regularly stay in the hospital.

According to Pat Warner, executive director of the new hospital, C.S. Mott emphasizes patient and family centered care. Unlike other children’s hospitals, the new hospital was designed specifically with families in mind, Warner said.

“We decided we would design the facility from the patient and family perspective wherever possible,” she said. “Traditionally hospitals have always been designed from the (health care) provider’s perspective.”

Marie Lozon, director of pediatric emergency services, said it was important to look beyond a typical clinical perspective because caretakers have a different experience in the hospital than their patients.

“If I need to do a spinal tap on a child, I’m focused on getting it just right and doing the procedure correctly,” Lozon said. “What are the child and the family focused on? They’re terrified.”

To ensure visitor comfort, amenities such as a meditation space, family exercise room, indoor playground and dining area were included in the design plan. Lozon said these spaces are helpful to a family enduring a long hospital stay.

“When you're suffering over the pain and discomfort of your child, you’re worried and you’re fearful,” she said. “But then if you don’t have the amenities, if you don’t have the proper food, or if you don’t have a place to get clean, it’s much worse.”

Artwork by former patients and professional artists fills the brightly colored halls to create a welcoming environment. Other displays inspired by nature, like large backlit photographs of plants on campus, decorate the building and highlight the proximity to Nichols Arboretum just a short walk from the facility.

Melanie Manos, curator of the new Mott art collection, selected the pieces that adorn the walls. More than 200 works are featured and are valued collectively at $1.8 million. Manos said it was important to not only choose typical children’s art.

“We were trying to create an environment that could reach multiple generations,” she said. “We wanted parents, teenagers and children of all ages to be able to enjoy it.”

Manos said people often find it difficult to handle the hospital environment when spending so much time by the bedside of a sick loved one. To try to alleviate some of the emotional stress of the process, Manos and her team tried to make the building look a little less like a traditional hospital.

“Sometimes you just need to get away,” she said.