University Children’s Hospital Freiburg

The University Children’s and Youth Hospital in Freiburg treats 75,000 CAYA (children, adolescents and young adults) of different entities every year. As a nationwide model project, the hospital brings together professional competence, holistic medicine and care, as well as research, training and further education in a more efficient medical infrastructure all under one roof. The architecture plays an important role in this. Within the scope of the design task, Kopvol creates an integrated concept of the working- and treatment world. In the working world, under the motto “Because experts are humans”, nurses, doctors and therapists form an optimal communicative team in which each professional group has its own task-oriented workplaces and maximum opportunities for concentration. The individual areas of work are planned as closely as possible together and stimulate inter-professional exchange. Open, informal meeting rooms invite dialogue and form the transitions between the closed workplaces. The treatment world is characterized by clinical and non-clinical areas that support the recovery of children and adolescents and maintain the health of their parents. Under the motto “Because patient orientation is not a luxury but a care task”, the architectural core concepts REN cluster and anti-waiting room are created. These so-called QR (Qualitative Spatial Concepts) form, along with three other core concepts, the basis for the later building design. The QR are published in 2014 as the German-language anthology “Klinik für Zukunft” (Koppen, Vollmer) and summarized in English as “A Hospital for the Region, a Clinic for the whole World”. In 2017 the architectural concept received the Marga Comiotto Foundation Prize. The award emphasizes the special character of the healing and health support of the building concept.

Selected publications:

Vollmer, T. C., Koppen, G., Vraetz, T., & Niemeyer, C. (2017). Entwicklungsräume. JuKiP – Ihr Fachmagazin Für Gesundheits- Und Kinderkrankenpflege, 06(06), 239–244.

Vollmer, T. C., Vraetz, T., Koppen, G., & Niemeyer, C. (2017). Evidenz basiertes design und Patientenorientierung in der Kinder- und Jugendklinik Freiburg. In C. Nickl-Weller, S. Matthys, & T. Eichenauer (Eds.), Health Care der Zukunft 6: Livability of Health (pp. 81–90). Berlin: Medizinisch Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft.

Koppen, G., & Vollmer, T. C. (2015). Weil Patientenorientierung kein Luxus sondern Versorgungsauftrag ist! – Qualitatives Raumkonzept, Patientenbereiche: Neubauprojekt ‘Unsere Kinder- und Jugendklinik Freiburg’. 2. veränderte Auflage. Freiburg i. Br.: INITIATIVE.

Koppen, G., & Vollmer, T. C. (2015). Weil Experten Menschen sind! – Qualitatives Raumkonzept, Arbeits- und Ausbildungsbereiche: Neubauprojekt ‘Unsere Kinder- und Jugendklinik Freiburg’. 2. veränderte Auflage. Freiburg i. Br.: INITIATIVE.

Koppen, G., & Vollmer, T. C. (2015). Weil Medizin mit Zukunft Verantwortung bedeutet! – Qualitatives Raumkonzept, Adaptivität und Nachhaltigkeit: Neubauprojekt ‘Unsere Kinder- und Jugendklinik Freiburg’. Freiburg i. Br.: INITIATIVE.

Vollmer, T. C., & Koppen, G. (2016). Guiding Principles & Concepts for the New Building of Unsere Kinder- und Jugendklinik Freiburg. A hospital for the region, a clinic for the entire world! (1st ed.). Freiburg i. Br.: INITIATIVE.

Unsere Kinder- und Jugendklinik Freiburg. Klinik für Zukunft! Sammelband (2015) Freiburg i. Br.: INITIATIVE.