Future design of a Children's Hospice

Children’s hospices are a recent concept within the Danish context. Currently, only the small experimental institution “Lukashuset” at ”Sankt Lukas Stiftelsen” exists. There has been both an increased demand for and a public and political interest in creating a dedicated children’s hospice, similar to those in those in Britain, where the concept is more widespread. In Denmark, the only choice is represented by children’s wards, which are ill-suited to palliative treatment.
The objective of this paper is to describe and present a children’s hospice which has been designed using the integrated design approach to sustainable architecture (Knudstrup, 2004) in an architectural Master’s thesis project. The architecture should aid and facilitate palliative treatment for the patients, while relatives and staff also benefit from the healing architecture. The hospice is designed on the foundations of accessibility requirements, the theory of healing (Frandsen et al., 2011) and palliative architecture (REHPA, 2016), as well as experiences from “Lukashuset”.
The hospice is to be placed in Hammer Bakker, allowing the building to have a calm and natural environment that provides a closer connection to nature. The architecture utilises nature as a palliative element. Sensory stimulation for the patients is achieved through nature, lights, window placement, sensory gar-dens, and materiality. Functions are placed according to privacy and proximity to one another.
A home-like atmosphere and the promotion of wellbeing are key elements in a children’s hospice, and since the relatives are deeply affected by the patient’s condition, there is a need for the relatives to stay at the hospice while also maintaining work and social life. By creating flexible environments where pa-tients and relatives can control furnishings, light, and climate, the users have personal control over the environment and can create a temporary home. Creating a stable environment for the relatives and patients alike benefits the well-being of all users.
In conclusion, the architecture of a children’s hospice must facilitate a healing and palliative atmosphere not only for children but also for relatives and staff.