Drottning Silvias named winner in the European Healthcare Design Awards

The European Healthcare Design (EHD) Awards is one of the world’s most prestigious architecture awards within healthcare design. It celebrates and recognises professional and research excellence in the design of healthcare environments. The awards champion healthcare environments that promote health, wellbeing, and quality, while supporting the delivery of treatment and care in an accessible, sustainable, and equitable way.

– Environments where people do not choose to come, just end up in, need extra care in their design. Then, a children’s hospital for healing feels like one of the most important. We are very proud to receive this award, as healing environments like these are needed, said Susanna von Eyben, Lead Interior Architect at White.

Commissioned by Västfastigheter, White Arkitekter has designed the pioneering Queen Silvia Children’s hospital. In the design, playfulness is incorporated throughout the building, as play is central to children's development. The child's perspective, children's rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child have played an essential role in the planning process. Despite disabilities and illness, healthy play must always be encouraged as a professional tool in recovery. The environment and works of art encourage this and offers meaningful activities. The arts stimulate movement and exploration in children and promote both well-being and recovery.

– The challenge was how to meet the high demands on equipment, hygiene and efficiency in a way which does not “look and feel” like a traditional hospital. Medical professionalism combined with de-dramatising playfulness optimises the care and recovery, said Susanna von Eyben.

Distractions for reduced anxiety have been created with art and design. The interior architecture is related to the local nature of our region. Each department has its color scheme from different environments such as forests, meadows, seas, and lakes. Recognition, home feeling, curiosity are important pieces of the puzzle for the child. Furniture of different scales and hidden surprises gives the child an experience of something unexpected.

– When it comes to care environments for children and young people, it is unusual, but important, to go as far as we have done in this project to meet their needs. With a clear concept and deep collaboration in all design, we have created an environment where every detail is considered and speaks the same language, said Susanna von Eyben.

Learn more about the project here.