Cottrell & Vermeulen creates children’s hospital designs

Selected through a design competition run by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the designed spaces will provide areas of respite for children and their families at the hospital.

One internal space has been designed as a ‘living room’ of the hospital with oversize domestic objects offering a space for ‘refuge and play’ to encourage exploration, says project architect Maria Westerstahl.

‘We’ve created large sculptural pieces with interactive projections, screening and light,’ says Westerstahl.

A new roof garden is inspired by a forest landscape with overhead protection from the elements and views across the city.

‘It is a place to run around, play hide and seek, chat, relax or just experience nature,’ says Westerstahl.

A forest floor guides visitors through the space to a teepee ‘tree house’ where real tree trunks support a rolling lattice canopy structure above.

The new hospital is expected to open in January 2012.