2021-12-08
Complex puzzle behind beautiful care environments
The renovation of the North Wing of Helsingborg Hospital is complete, including a new children's ward. By the end of the year, all activities will have moved into the premises, which have a clear focus on the needs of patients, staff and relatives.
FOJAB has already designed the reconstruction of the East Wing, including a neonatal ward. Now the North Wing is also ready with three general care wards, a maternity/gynecology ward and a children's ward - a 12,000 square meter renovation spread over five floors.
- "It has been a complex puzzle to put together with many functions in a small area," says Anna Hjort, commissioned architect at FOJAB.
There should be space for advanced technology and the design and layout of the rooms should support staff in their work. They need space around beds and toilets, an overview of the different rooms and easy access to, for example, material storage. At the same time, care environments should be reassuring and welcoming to patients and their families.
In addition to functionality, an important starting point for the renovation was to create generous views and plenty of daylight, giving staff and patients direct contact with the outdoor environment and the opportunity to follow the rhythm of the day and the changing seasons.
Colors and materials were developed in collaboration with FOJAB's interior designer Åsa Jönsson. The rooms are grouped in pairs with a color scheme that follows the corridor, which facilitates orientation.
- The ambition has been to create a visual whole that is timeless and ages beautifully," says Åsa Jönsson.
In the children's ward, the rooms are extra large with room for both parents and siblings to sleep over. Here, artist Maria Bajt has been responsible for the decoration, creating a unique environment with power animals, bright colors and magical nature. Already outside the ward you will find animal tracks on the walls, further in a playroom whose glass walls hide some of the power animals in tall swaying grass like a savannah. Each treatment room has its own power animal to give the child security and protection during the hospital stay.
The top three floors of the North Wing have already been occupied. The maternity ward will move in in December and the children's ward at the turn of the year.
