The University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB), Basel, Switzerland

In the new building two clinical departments which were located in different places are unified. The programme encompasses 100 stationary beds, an emergency unit and departments for surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics and acute psychiatry. All areas had to be designed in an appropriate way for children.

The new Children’s Hospital stands out due to its colourful façade that changes its complexion depending on one’s perspective. Foil covered glass panels which reflect light in different ways enable this effect. Some mesh-protected loggias installed on the street-facing facade give children the liberty to play “outside”. The patients’ rooms are located on the backside of the building overlooking a park-like courtyard. Hallways are wide and bright, their walls are covered in wood-like panels and tall slivers of back-lit photos depict scenes from Basel and include child-scaled figurines.

The new infrastructure and the unification of all specialists under one roof not only make highly specialized juvenile medicine possible but also make the new UKBB even more a family hospital.