Hospitals, however well-designed and thoughtful, carry a strong emotional charge for the patients and visiting relatives who stay there. An empathetic and caring approach to design, however, can make the space at least a little more welcoming and the stay itself a little less stressful.
pro bono design
Such a challenge was faced by architects from Kurylowicz & Associates, who are working pro bono on a project to modernize the emergency room and registration hall for specialized outpatient clinics at the "Children's Memorial Health Center" Institute, which has not been renovated in nearly forty years. - children's hospital in Warsaw. This is not the first cooperation between the team of the Warsaw laboratory and the institution - at the beginning of June the first Cardiac Medical Simulation Laboratory in Poland was opened, where cardiologists and anesthesiologists can train in a teaching room and a 3D printing laboratory (where it is possible to print models of individual children's hearts!). The authors of the design of the recently opened modern spaces are Piotr Żabicki and Karolina Czumaj, while Aleksandra Czubaszek-Siłuch and Katarzyna Woźniak will be responsible for the modernization of subsequent interiors. Funds for the renovation are being raised by violinist, ambassador of the institute and president of the Virtuosa Foundation, which works to improve the interiors of children's hospitals, Patrycja Piekutowska.
axonometry
© Kurylowicz & Associates
space without exclusions
The investment, which will cover nearly 1,230 square meters of space, has been divided into three phases - the ongoing modernization of the registration of specialist outpatient clinics, which is scheduled for completion in mid-September, the renovation of the emergency room's ambulance and treatment rooms and, finally, the reconstruction of the emergency room's waiting room and registration.
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concept for the modernization of the interiors of the Institute "Monument-Center for Children's Health".
© Kurylowicz & Associates
The entire project, the designers emphasize, will be designed in accordance with the studio's philosophy, as a space without exclusions, adapted to the needs of each group of patients - newborns, children and teenagers. The architects have also included a space with a special sensory wall for children with cerebral palsy and autistic disorders, and, consulting with specialists from the Children's Health Center, have ensured that the interior decoration is not exaggerated or too infantile.
The entrance to the hospital is a very important space from the point of view of the feelings of the young patient and his parent. This area should be functionally clear and aesthetically friendly to evoke positive emotions and support the building of optimism in the struggle of children with health problems, explains Piotr Żabicki, architect at Kuryłowicz & Associates.
three-dimensional decoration in the registration area
© Kurylowicz & Associates
materials and colors
Appropriate colors and materials are not insignificant in creating user-friendly spaces. The modernized space will be kept in a subdued color palette incorporating shades of green and earth colors, and designed with natural materials - wooden trim and using the existing marble floor.
This will be the first emergency room in Poland to take into account the problem of a child's collision with the hospital," explains Patrycja Piekutowska. - In addition to modern equipment and functional layout and furnishings of the rooms, a huge role in this project is played by color and its impact on the well-being of young patients, adds the president of the Virtuosa Foundation, who is involved in raising funds for the modernization of the Center.
The entrance area, where the architects have planned a centrally located three-dimensional decoration that can be used for play, and the cafeteria, where a wooden hippopotamus - the symbol of the Children's Health Center - will find its place, will be filled with greenery. Earthy colors, in turn, will dominate in the diagnostic rooms, among others.
The modernized space will also not lack thoughtful elements intended for play:
the design of the registration of young patients is stylized as a ticket office, where the child is to receive a ticket to a particular station - a hospital ward - to then hand it to the nurse. This procedure is intended to change the perception of a visit to the hospital, to generate less stress, and at the same time generate curiosity, associate with fun or adventure," explains Aleksandra Czubaszek-Siłuch, an architect from Kuryłowicz & Associates.
The entire work will amount to about 2.5 million zlotys.
