GMK Associates was retained by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia, SC, to provide architectural and engineering designs for the construction of a new Ronald McDonald House in the Columbia area to replace an existing, smaller facility nearby. The new residential facility will be a three-story, 15,500-square-foot building located on the campus of Palmetto Health Richland. The facility will provide a place to stay for families of seriously ill children who are being treated at area hospitals and will double the capacity of the existing facility. It will include 16 family bedrooms, 4 living rooms, a state-of-the art kitchen, a 50-seat dining room, and other amenities such as an elevator, a toy room, and on-site office space for all staff, interns, and volunteers. The elevator system consists of one hydraulic 3-stop elevator. The elevator is critical to the use of the multi-story facility since the building services families of sick children as well as the sick children themselves. The owner specified an elevator that helped create the inviting and warm atmosphere that complements the organization’s mission.