Copenhagen, Denmark
Link Arkitektur and 3XN along with Nickl & Partner and Kristine Jensens Tegnestue design a healing-focused extension to Denmark’s largest hospital, Rigshospitalet, where patients’ well-being and healing, the needs of healthcare professionals, and future adaptability of the hospital functions become the guiding principles for the design of the project.
Due to its design and scope the project was awarded a 2021 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The project features more than 200 patient rooms, operating rooms, an intensive care unit, and outpatient clinics.
The new wing is spread out over seven floors and offers a total of 209 patient rooms (196 are single rooms with private bathrooms), 33 operating rooms, an intensive care unit, outpatient clinics, diagnostic imaging functions, and research spaces.
Inspired by the lines on a cardiogram graph, the North Wing is shaped like a zigzag and is intersected by a main “artery” route that runs through the entire wing.
The straight, central walkway allows staff to navigate easily from one end of the building to the other, while the surrounding zigzag structure means quiet zones and patient rooms are located away from the central corridor, avoiding unnecessary disturbances.
The zigzag form thus serves numerous purposes: it eases the flow through the hospital by optimizing the staff’s circulation routes, while offering patients more comfort and dignity to recover away from the busy hospital environment.
Wards and outpatient clinics are laid out over three floors and are connected by a continuous axis.
Arrival areas are optimized for day patients, while the pre and postoperative areas are placed next to the operating areas.
Two spiral staircases and four central elevator towers connect the floors to the central common area.
The staircases are located in the open atria, where daylight flows into the building from the glass ceiling, as well as through large glass sections in the facade.
Common waiting areas are established in connection to the two staircases on each floor.
To help orientation, each floor has its own dedicated color scheme applied to doors, flooring, and selected walls.
Healing architecture has been a guiding principle at all levels of the North Wing.
The large glass windows let the daylight flow into the building and create a connection between the interior spaces and the neighboring public park Fælledparken.
The daylight-filled space inside the North Wing and the green surroundings help create a peaceful environment for patients and relatives.
The result is a hospital building that is pleasant to visit while providing the patients with optimal conditions for recovery and well-being.
Artworks by Olafur Eliasson, Malene Landgreen, and Erik A. Frandsen bring color and life into the building, softening the traditionally sterile hospital environment.
The North Wing relates to its surroundings while still asserting its own unique architectural expression.
The dynamic form of the North Wing adapts to the surrounding urban space, gradually lowering in scale from northwest to southeast.
This means the building is taller towards the high-rise buildings of the existing hospital, while respectfully lowering down towards the classic Copenhagen-style residential buildings across the road.
The facade towards Fælledparken is light and open and enters a dialogue with the park rather than forming a solid wall.
Ready for today and ready for the future: The North Wing has a strong expression, conveying openness, transparency, safety, and humanism – while at the same time creating a long-lasting, flexible hospital that can adapt according to future operational needs.
New treatment methods and digital innovations continue to challenge existing hospital settings.
The North Wing is therefore designed around simple principles that provide great flexibility and space for adjustments according to future needs.
Project: The North Wing of Rigshospitalet
Architects: Link Arkitektur and 3XN
Associate Architects: Nickl & Partner, Kristine Jensens Tegnestue
Client: Rigshospitalet
Photographers: Adam Mørk
