Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538080
T H E P I T T | P E R S P E C T I V E 1 9 D e v e l o p i n g a n I m m e r s i v e E n v i r o n m e n t T H E P I T T B Y N I N A R U S C I O , P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R I left this meeting buoyed by their trust in me and well aware of my sudden phenomenal responsibility. A ground plan, for me, is not the beginning of a project, but more precisely the confident conclusion of an elaborate, careful study supporting script needs, ergonomic function and concept. In this unique situation, in the void of story specifics, I needed to cover all scenarios imaginable; every eventuality for fifteen episodes of a season that would shoot 98% on this one set. Yikes. With a tight deadline and a big goal, I immersed myself in hospital-design research, meeting doctors and poring over hefty books on emergency departments. There is such intentionality in the normalcy of common institutional design. Instead of pushing against it to make things unnaturally special, I leaned into consistencies to make accuracy unquestionable. I gained deep respect for the varied work of Huddy Healthcare Solutions, a prolific hospital design firm. Visiting all kinds of economic levels and aesthetics of emergency departments helped validate my research in the real world. I sheepishly admit that I aggrandized personal injuries (like a scary swollen bee sting) to get me into as many different facilities as possible. A. PITTSBURGH TRAUMA MEDICAL CENTER (PTMC). THE HUB. STAGE 22 WARNER BROS. SET PHOTO BY KEN HABER.