The new Ronald McDonald House provides a home and support for families with children receiving treatment at local Boise hospitals. The house offers a nurturing environment supported 24 hours a day by the RMH staff, allowing families to stay close to neighboring hospitals and focus on their children. Notably, the project raised over $15 million with the community’s support in just 18 months to help fund the new building’s construction.

The project was born out of the previous facility’s growing demands and the resulting need to constantly turn families away. The new house triples RMH’s previous capacity — with 47 private guest rooms and expanded shared facilities (living rooms, dining room, five kitchens and laundry). Quiet areas for reflection are tucked away for privacy. A children’s play area connects to a large outdoor patio and playground. The building celebrates the indoor-outdoor connection by surrounding a large private courtyard that both staff and guests can enjoy.

From the project’s onset, the client’s objectives were to attain a durable and easy-to-maintain facility while emulating a home environment’s feeling. The design of the Ronald McDonald House is based on a modern approach to craftsman style architecture — providing a warm, welcoming, nonthreatening and functional environment to the families using the facility, as well as honoring the historic neighborhood.

While the project is the culmination of over 30 years of serving the community, the entire design and building process was achieved in just 18 months, with construction accounting for 11 months of the timeline. Only through careful planning and collaboration between the contractor and the design team could the project expedite its overall schedule successfully.

Cole Architects
Principal Designers: Matt Huffield, Stan Cole, Ian Hoffman