Designing the Children and Youth Centre – with play as the connecting force
- Deltagere fra Designskolen Kolding
-
Sofie Kinch
Nina Rüder
- Forsknings- og udviklings projekttype
- Forskning og udvikling
- Projektperiode
- jun. 2025 - feb. 2026
- Projektledelse
Designskolen Kolding
- LAB
- LAB for Play Design
- LAB tema
- Playful Care
- Samarbejdspartnere
- Aalborg Universitetshospital
AART
The project is developed through a close collaboration between Aalborg University Hospital, Design School Kolding’s research unit for Playful Care, and AART Architects, the project integrates research-based knowledge on play and healing architecture into the interior design strategy. Through co-creative processes with hospital staff and knowledge exchange with Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital at Rigshospitalet, the project draws on national best practices related to colour, visual identity, play installations, and furnishings.
The Børne- og Ungehuset is envisioned as a welcoming and coherent environment that supports safety, agency, and meaningful engagement for children, young people, families, and staff. By translating playful, child-centred principles into concrete spatial guidelines, the project aims to create caring, adaptable, and age-appropriate hospital environments and to strengthen Denmark’s position as a frontrunner in child-centred hospital design."
The key question of the project
The project asks how playful interior design can act as a bridge between research and practice, and between existing and new hospital cultures, without becoming either overstimulating or infantilising.
The Purpose of the project
The project aims to translate research-based knowledge on play, playful care, and healing architecture into concrete spatial principles that support self-determination, adaptability, age-appropriateness, and meaningful engagement.
A further objective is to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and national knowledge exchange, positioning Denmark as a frontrunner in designing caring, living hospital environments for children and young people.
The Methods and Outcome of the project
The project is grounded in a research-by-design approach combining design research, clinical practice, and architectural expertise. Methods include cross-disciplinary collaboration, knowledge exchange with Rigshospitalet: Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital, and a co-creative workshop with staff from somatic and psychiatric departments. These processes informed the development of four guiding design principles and a curated interior strategy that builds on existing architectural constraints.
The outcome is a coherent, research-informed 25 page repport for playful, child-centred hospital interiors that supports diverse needs, enables micro-moments of play, and guides future design decisions for Aalborg Hospital; Unit for Children and Youth
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