The children's hospital is a 3-story building arranged around a series of courtyards like a small, introspective town. In-patients, out-patients and their relatives can move around freely between the different treatment areas. The 3-level arrangement reflects the desire to create a child-friendly building both in scale and materiality, and differs the usual hospital stereotype. Wood is used for façades and interiors, creating a more domestic atmosphere for children, their parents and hospital staff. The use of wood also echoes the rural surroundings of the Lengg district. The interior courtyards open up intermittently to the outside, allowing daylight to permeate the low, deep building.
Partners: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Christine Binswanger (Partner in Charge)
Project Team: Mark Bähr (Project Manager), Jason Frantzen (Associate), Alexandria Algard, Alexander Franz, Ondrej Janku, Christoph Jantos, Johannes Kohnle, Blanca Bravo Reyes, Raúl Torres Martin, Mika Zacharias
Client: Kinderspital Zürich – Eleonorenstiftung, Zurich
Total floor area: 84,579 square metres
Structural engineering: ZPF Ingenieure AG, Basel
Landscaping: August Künzel, Münchenstein
General planning: Gruner AG, Basel
Visualisation: Bloomimages, Hamburg
