Healthcare can be intense. For patients, families and care teams alike, hospitals are often places of urgency, uncertainty and stress. The newly revitalized Fourth Floor Atrium at the University of Alberta Hospital was designed to change that experience — to offer a place to pause, gather and breathe.
For Court Carruthers and his family, that need was deeply personal.
“We had multiple situations of being here for weeks at a time,” Carruthers says, “and not because of wait times to have something done — just trying to figure out what was going on.”
During those long stretches, there was no dedicated place to wait or to process difficult conversations with care teams. “I’ve had those conversations in stairways, hallways, the café when it’s packed at lunch, even outside,” he says. “That’s just not a great place to have them.”
Those experiences stayed with Carruthers and his family. They became the catalyst for a partnership with the University of Alberta, Alberta Health Services and the University Hospital Foundation to help create a space designed specifically for families living in that in-between — the long, uncertain hours of waiting, hoping and listening.
Their $1 million leadership gift helped make the $2.9 million Fourth Floor Atrium project possible, alongside generous support from the Edmonton Civic Employees Charitable Assistance Fund and funds raised through the Foundation’s 2023 Festival of Trees. The project, first envisioned more than two decades ago, now occupies a welcoming space on the hospital’s fourth floor.
“This atrium reflects what happens when we expand our understanding of healthcare,” says Dr. Jodi Abbott, President and CEO of the University Hospital Foundation. “It’s not just about what happens in operating rooms or patient rooms, it’s about creating environments that support people emotionally, mentally and physically during some of the most stressful moments of their lives.”
From the moment visitors enter, the intention of the space is clear. Inspired by the Edmonton River Valley, the atrium’s design brings the outdoors in through cool, natural tones, abundant plant life and large-scale feature murals by local artists. The space offers areas for quiet solace and spiritual reflection, as well as gathering spaces where families can sit together and support one another. A designated performance area allows the atrium to host music and community programming, reinforcing its role as a living, shared space within the hospital.
More than 150 hospital staff helped shape the design by sharing what they love most about the river valley, and interactive elements — including a scavenger hunt woven into the murals — invite visitors of all ages to engage with the space.
At the heart of the atrium is something that did not previously exist at the University of Alberta Hospital: a dedicated surgical waiting area designed with families in mind. Seating for 102 people replaces hallway chairs and stairwell conversations. Two screening monitors provide real-time surgical updates using unique ID numbers to protect privacy, allowing families to track progress, stay informed, and, when the moment comes, finally exhale. Private spaces also allow surgeons to meet with families and share updates together, away from crowded public areas.
“Waiting during surgery can be one of the most stressful experiences for families,” says Dr. David Bigam, Chief of Surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital. “This atrium changes that experience by offering a calm, dignified place to wait and clearer, more compassionate communication.”
A double-sided fireplace anchors the space, adding warmth and calm to an environment more often defined by intensity and urgency. It is a place where patients can visit when they’re able to leave their rooms, where families can spend long hours without feeling displaced and where care teams can briefly step away to rest and reset.
That focus on staff was important to Carruthers as well.
“It’s a place for them to come and rest,” he says. “A place for them to have better conversations with families — and hopefully something that really helps the people who are here saving lives each and every day.”
Developed through extensive community engagement, including AHS leadership, a project advisory team, Indigenous Elders, public surveys and inclusivity workshops, the Fourth Floor Atrium was intentionally designed to be welcoming, accessible, and safe for all.
The early response has been overwhelmingly positive. More than a physical renovation, the Fourth Floor Atrium is a testament to what philanthropy makes possible — transforming how healthcare is experienced, when it matters most.
Read more in the news:
CTV: University of Alberta Hospital Opens Atrium Space
Global: 4th Floor Atrium Now Open at University of Alberta Hospital