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Giant tigers and rooftop teepees: the Royal London Hospital play space Giant tigers and rooftop teepees: the Royal London Hospital play space
(7 months later)
Visitors to the seventh floor of the new Royal London Hospital would be forgiven for thinking they had slipped down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. A huge fluorescent owl perches on a giant chair, which rises to almost two storeys, standing alongside a vast television set. An enormous stuffed tiger leans against a great wooden globe, while a gigantic orange lampshade hangs above a digital disco carpet. It's like the stage set of The Borrowers conceived on an acid trip.Visitors to the seventh floor of the new Royal London Hospital would be forgiven for thinking they had slipped down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. A huge fluorescent owl perches on a giant chair, which rises to almost two storeys, standing alongside a vast television set. An enormous stuffed tiger leans against a great wooden globe, while a gigantic orange lampshade hangs above a digital disco carpet. It's like the stage set of The Borrowers conceived on an acid trip.
This surreal oversize living room is the work of Cottrell and Vermeulen architects and designer Morag Myerscough, who have worked to bring a much-needed dose of fun to the children's ward of this colossal new hospital complex. Towering above Whitechapel Road in the heart of London's East End, the new Royal London stands as a brute cliff-face of blue glazing, dwarfing its refined Georgian parent. A £1bn private finance initiative, crafted with the relentless utilitarian charm that only public-private partnerships know how, it is not the kind of place you would expect to find a dreamy landscape of giant furniture, teepees and psychedelic owls.This surreal oversize living room is the work of Cottrell and Vermeulen architects and designer Morag Myerscough, who have worked to bring a much-needed dose of fun to the children's ward of this colossal new hospital complex. Towering above Whitechapel Road in the heart of London's East End, the new Royal London stands as a brute cliff-face of blue glazing, dwarfing its refined Georgian parent. A £1bn private finance initiative, crafted with the relentless utilitarian charm that only public-private partnerships know how, it is not the kind of place you would expect to find a dreamy landscape of giant furniture, teepees and psychedelic owls.
"We wanted it to be a complete escape for the children," says architect Richard Cottrell. "Something so unexpected and all-consuming that it might distract them from thinking about being in hospital.""We wanted it to be a complete escape for the children," says architect Richard Cottrell. "Something so unexpected and all-consuming that it might distract them from thinking about being in hospital."
Entered from the ward's corridor of grey lino and suspended polystyrene ceilings, the airy double-height space, filled with these lurid jumbo props, is a shock to the system. Designed as a huge domestic space, the room is edged with a giant skirting board and lined with bold graphic wallpaper, while the individual objects are based on everyday items – an Ikea rug has been pixelated to form a stage beneath the TV screen, and big stripey wooden tops provide fun seating along the edge.Entered from the ward's corridor of grey lino and suspended polystyrene ceilings, the airy double-height space, filled with these lurid jumbo props, is a shock to the system. Designed as a huge domestic space, the room is edged with a giant skirting board and lined with bold graphic wallpaper, while the individual objects are based on everyday items – an Ikea rug has been pixelated to form a stage beneath the TV screen, and big stripey wooden tops provide fun seating along the edge.
"We wanted everything to be familiar to the kids, rather than it being about 'design'," says Cottrell – as so many overly designed play spaces tend to be. Another key concern was to keep the children active, this room providing a place to unleash pent-up energy away from the ward."We wanted everything to be familiar to the kids, rather than it being about 'design'," says Cottrell – as so many overly designed play spaces tend to be. Another key concern was to keep the children active, this room providing a place to unleash pent-up energy away from the ward.
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"We didn't just want them to be slumped in front of an Xbox," says Anne Mullins, director of Vital Arts, the charitable arts organisation of Barts Health NHS Trust, which has steered the project. "It's about keeping them moving and exploring.""We didn't just want them to be slumped in front of an Xbox," says Anne Mullins, director of Vital Arts, the charitable arts organisation of Barts Health NHS Trust, which has steered the project. "It's about keeping them moving and exploring."
The TV features an interactive game, developed by designer Chris O'Shea with Nexus Interactive Arts, that superimposes children on to a jungle scene where they can interact with the animals, or even make it rain. Similarly, the neon lampshade projects a turntable on to the floor, allowing the children to control the music, while recorded stories are broadcast beneath the chair.The TV features an interactive game, developed by designer Chris O'Shea with Nexus Interactive Arts, that superimposes children on to a jungle scene where they can interact with the animals, or even make it rain. Similarly, the neon lampshade projects a turntable on to the floor, allowing the children to control the music, while recorded stories are broadcast beneath the chair.
The result of a RIBA competition, the scheme was developed in close consultation with medical staff, physiotherapists and teachers – who requested a series of intimate, enclosed areas as well as the open-plan room, to allow for patients' different needs. You can actually climb inside the TV (surely the ambition of every child), where a cosy cave-like space awaits. Another secluded area can be found inside the globe. Each space is large enough to accommodate the turning circle of a hospital bed.The result of a RIBA competition, the scheme was developed in close consultation with medical staff, physiotherapists and teachers – who requested a series of intimate, enclosed areas as well as the open-plan room, to allow for patients' different needs. You can actually climb inside the TV (surely the ambition of every child), where a cosy cave-like space awaits. Another secluded area can be found inside the globe. Each space is large enough to accommodate the turning circle of a hospital bed.
The giant dreamscape extends outside, where a roof terrace is populated by a shingle-clad treehouse, a canvas teepee and an undulating pergola – which vines are beginning to scale, soon to form a leafy bower. Rustic willow-wattle fencing edges the terrace, masking the standard-issue glass balustrade, while dinky tree stumps provide seating.The giant dreamscape extends outside, where a roof terrace is populated by a shingle-clad treehouse, a canvas teepee and an undulating pergola – which vines are beginning to scale, soon to form a leafy bower. Rustic willow-wattle fencing edges the terrace, masking the standard-issue glass balustrade, while dinky tree stumps provide seating.
"We tried to make it feel as natural as possible, to contrast the hard and faceless materials of the rest of the building," says Cottrell, as we look up to see adult patients at windows above, enviously eyeing this hidden haven. A gardening group has also been set up to get kids involved in planting the rooftop beds, with portable trays so bed-bound patients can join in too."We tried to make it feel as natural as possible, to contrast the hard and faceless materials of the rest of the building," says Cottrell, as we look up to see adult patients at windows above, enviously eyeing this hidden haven. A gardening group has also been set up to get kids involved in planting the rooftop beds, with portable trays so bed-bound patients can join in too.
While this £1m play space – funded by a group of City insurance companies and contractor Skanska – is the largest single art project at the Royal London, Vital Arts has been working hard to infiltrate the hospital elsewhere. As we leave the ward, Mullins points out the curtains around each bed, which are printed with a brilliant panoramic vista of London, as are the bedside cabinets and tables – the work of surface designer Ella Doran. It is a triumph of simple, thoughtful design, and a miracle that such things have been achieved in the byzantine world of NHS procurement.While this £1m play space – funded by a group of City insurance companies and contractor Skanska – is the largest single art project at the Royal London, Vital Arts has been working hard to infiltrate the hospital elsewhere. As we leave the ward, Mullins points out the curtains around each bed, which are printed with a brilliant panoramic vista of London, as are the bedside cabinets and tables – the work of surface designer Ella Doran. It is a triumph of simple, thoughtful design, and a miracle that such things have been achieved in the byzantine world of NHS procurement.
"It's just scratching the surface of the possibilities of hospital design," says Cottrell. "It shows the potential for commissioning decent things, even on this vast scale.""It's just scratching the surface of the possibilities of hospital design," says Cottrell. "It shows the potential for commissioning decent things, even on this vast scale."
The play space has only been open for two days, but let's hope it holds true to Florence Nightingale's assertion in her 1859 Notes on Nursing: that "variety of form and brilliancy of colour in objects presented to patients are an actual means of recovery."The play space has only been open for two days, but let's hope it holds true to Florence Nightingale's assertion in her 1859 Notes on Nursing: that "variety of form and brilliancy of colour in objects presented to patients are an actual means of recovery."
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