Emma Children's Hospital at AMC

For years the EKZ has dedicated itself to providing the best treatment and care for seriously ill children while creating an environment where every child is given the chance to lead as normal a life as possible, in and outside of the hospital. This was the guiding principle behind the renovation of the EKZ. The new Care Unit for babies ( age group 0-1 ) and Staff area on the seventh floor are visible proof of the enormous transformation the hospital will undergo in the coming years. The next phases (children, teenagers, oncology, surgery, intensive care, theatre, playgrounds, lounges) will be completed in stages through 2013. The total footprint of the project is 11.000 m2. Together architects OD205 and OPERA Amsterdam are respectively responsible for architectural design and interior design. OPERA’s approach to the brief was to define three areas of intimacy: the most private; immediate surroundings; and that of the child in relation to the outside world. At the heart of the design lies its subtle balance between areas with little sensory stimulation, where the child can withdraw and enjoy privacy, to areas (a lounge area, a cinema etc.) where there is plenty of stimulus that connects the child to the outside world. The integrated approach explores not only the best environment for infants, but also for young adolescents and all ages in between. Each age group requires different surroundings and age-specific facilities, while at the same time the hospital needs to be perceived as a coherent structure. The design is restrained to accommodate round the clock presence of people involved in the treatment of infants; not only doctors and nurses, but in particular the baby’s family. The Unit’s facilities allow parents to stay close to the child, and when necessary to accommodate an entire family – including siblings – within the hospital walls. OPERA took the metaphor of the high street as the guiding principle to connect the three areas of intimacy and direct the wayfinding. The ‘parade’, the main corridor that runs through the hospital much like a high street through a large town, plays an important part in the design. The high street leads to all the public spaces in a town: the town square, the zoo, the park, the sports fields, the theatre… but it also leads home and ultimately to the child’s bedroom. The street acts as a communal meeting place for patients and families and links the departments together. Each of the public meeting places has representative color and icon (pictogram) that repeats in the rooms and public areas of each ward. These individual icons form the basis of the way finding.