The 3XN’s scheme - who was working with Architema Architects, Niras, Rosan Bosch Studio and Kirstine Jensens Tegnestue, for the Rigshospitalet, Denmark’s leading hospital, which is titled ‘BørneRiget’, takes the form of two hands grasping together to support all aspects of pediatric care under one roof.
The design has been designed to allow children to stay close to their families while maintaining as much of a regular day-to-day routine as possible.
The design has been designed to allow children to stay close to their families while maintaining as much of a regular day-to-day routine as possible.
"When our children become ill, the whole family is affected,” said Kim Herforth Nielsen, Creative Director and Founder of 3XN. “We have therefore aimed to create an environment where the family can stay close to the patient and have a life as close to what they are used to. We have worked a lot with the healing qualities of architecture, considering factors from airflow to daylight while creating opportunities for play and creativity."
The shaped of the "hands" is a metaphorical and organizational principle implemented in the entire building. Each "hand" is defined with a public ‘wrist’, providing a lounge area for the family during the stay at the hospital. Each ‘finger’ offers patient bays, and at the end of each finger are winter gardens. The gardens stretch to the second floor, unfolding with different themes and experiences that accommodate the various patients’ needs.
The finger design ensures short distances to the individual bays in all fingers and simultaneously ensures a distance of maximum 7 – 20 metres from each bay to the nearest garden – as in an ordinary house.
The finger design ensures short distances to the individual bays in all fingers and simultaneously ensures a distance of maximum 7 – 20 metres from each bay to the nearest garden – as in an ordinary house.
"The ambition is to create a hospital with a home-esque and informal atmosphere where patients and their families will have a safe journey with relatable contexts and playful frameworks,” added Stig Vesterager Gothelf, 3XN Design Manager, and Partner. “It is crucial that children and their families feel protected in the course of treatment and that they can maintain the best possible quality of life."
“The building has a sculpturally healthy appearance and will become an icon for BørneRiget with its playful and inviting mode of expression,” said jury member Anders Danøe. “It is a building that meets a lot of the users’ many demands and wishes for a building that needs to be clinically effective and at the same time provide safety for children, adolescents, and families. A project that in every way deserves its central location in Copenhagen’s skyline with the headline: The world’s best hospital for children and family, nothing less.”
The new children’s hospital is expected to be completed in 2024 and will care for up to 900 patients. 1,200 doctors, nurses, orderlies, and administrative staff will work on-site. The project is expected to cost $350 million USD, funded by the capital region of Denmark, Rigshospitalet and Ole Kirk’s Foundation.
