Few people want to think about the end of a child's life, but pediatric care is a need nonetheless — and it's an underserved one. According to Children's Respite Homes in America, as of 2023, there were only six of such homes in the United States, which makes the plans unveiled at the August 24 Abbey Lights Up COTA Gala incredibly unique.

Michael Hsu Office Of Architecture, one of the most popular firms in Austin thanks to its work with hospitality brands like P. Terry's, Uchi, the South Congress Hotel, and many more, attended the gala to show off its first envisioning of Abbey House, one of the original goals of the Abigail E. Keller (AEK) Foundation. The first of its kind in Central Texas, Abbey House will serve as a pediatric respite and hospice facility, meaning that it will provide full-time care to children at various stages of their illness, giving family members a chance to catch up on life outside of medical settings.

Because there were so few examples to base the work on, the Michael Hsu team has an opportunity to create a new standard for this type of care. They worked with local specialists to combine the two main needs.

“What we have found is that the design has to find balance between two potentially conflicting concepts – respite and hospice,” said Dr. Patrick M. Jones of Dell Children's Medical Center in a press release. He's the section chief of pediatric palliative care.

“The teams are presented with the challenge of creating a welcoming, open space for respite, as well as cozy and private space for those navigating end of life care," he continued. "Not to mention creating a facility that ensures all aspects of the building make medically fragile children feel welcome and that they belong there, past just feeling accommodated for."

There is only one public rendering available so far. It shows a large, airy room with a sloped ceiling and large windows constituting what looks like an entirely glass wall. With lots of natural wood finishes, it looks out into a calming yard enclosed by greenery, including trees and a trellis for flowers. The interior makes space for playing and reading, and mobility aids are afforded wide paths through.

"Our vision is to craft a serene and welcoming environment ... to provide a calming retreat for hospice families while simultaneously sparking joy and imagination in children staying for respite services" said Michael Hsu architect Brian Carville. "This balance of tranquility and whimsy will set a new benchmark in pediatric respite and hospice care, enriching the lives of children and their families in Texas.”

The AEK Foundation is the annual benefactor of the gala at the Circuit of the Americas, now in its sixth year. The foundation's goal since the start was to build this facility, but in the meantime it's used incoming financial support to purchase care packages for children entering the Dell At Home hospice program, equipment for procedures at the Dell Comprehensive Care Clinic, hire specialists, and more.

Michael Hsu Architecture got involved through its Design for All program, which selects annual nonprofit partners to receive pro bono design work. Emergency foster care shelter Central Texas Table of Grace is the partner for 2024, and AEK is the honorary partner. The gala was hosted by The Daytripper host and executive producer Chet Garner, with live music by Suede.

"It’s important to understand the reason a facility like Abbey House is needed is that the system is not set up to support this right now,” said Dr. Jones. “To overcome the barriers to open a facility like this requires a ton of work and upfront help from the community. The only way this becomes successful is if this becomes an Austin and a Texas project, not just an AEK project. It's a community task to care for the most vulnerable in our community and this Foundation is doing that work."

More information about the Abigail E. Keller Foundation is available at aekellerfoundation.org.