The Jutlandic heath landscape comes into focus as a therapeutic and aesthetic element in Vega’s design for DNV Gødstrup’s new psychiatry ward, creating safe spaces for contemplation, relaxation, and playful movement. DNV Gødstrup is one of Denmark’s new super-hospitals, and its psychiatry ward centralizes care for the whole western part of the Mid-Jutland region. The design includes the 13 inner courtyards of the psychiatry ward, and a park that encircles the whole hospital. The planting scheme throughout derives from the iconic regional heath landscape, creating a strong connection between the hospital and the surrounding context, and creating seasonal moods.
The courtyards closer to the main building are generally more active, while those farther out on the periphery are more quiet and restful. The project made use of evidence-based design and user involvement to ensure a good experience for the patients and caregivers. Designed at the same scale as the indoor rooms, the courtyards create a soft transition from inside to outside and allow patients who cannot leave to feel a sense of freedom. The lower height of the buildings in the psychiatry ward allows sunlight to illuminate the courtyards. The strong formal relationship between the design language of the buildings and that of the courtyards enhances this ease of transition. Soft edges create a sense of safety and security throughout. On rainy days, patients can shelter under an overhang.
The sensory gardens are designed to promote relaxation and rehabilitation with touch-friendly plants and materials. Paths wind around the edges of these courtyards, with niches set into the vegetation to bring patients close to nature. Contact with nature has been shown to promote healing and reduce stress. Raised planting beds give patients easy access to the soil, while small fountains burble in the background. Perennials in muted colors and soft bushy trees provide interest in all seasons without being overwhelming, from sweet mock orange and Chinese crabapple blooms in the spring, to long-lasting red fruits in the fall. Vega has also devoted particular attention to the paving in these courtyards, incorporating feedback from psychiatric nurses to create a wide variety of tactile experiences. The sensation of interesting textures under the feet can help a withdrawn patient to connect to the world.
Other courtyards encourage movement with sturdy structures designed for light ball games and fitness. Periwinkle and white flowers bloom in the planting beds while service tree, Japanese maple, and magnolia provide an interesting variety of color and texture. These courtyards also host an array of sitting options, from wide wooden benches to chairs, seatwalls, and lawns. These invite informal meetings between patients and create spontaneous community, while allowing patients to choose whether to sit alone or together.
The encircling park relates the psychiatry ward to the outside world. Vega’s design adds a new path to the existing framework: the ‘therapeutic path’, close to the psychiatry ward and a little bit separate from the main park. This gives patients the opportunity to have a longer walk, perhaps with one or two caregivers, while still retaining some privacy. The outer park also includes sustainable bioswales designed to capture and filter rainwater, preparing the hospital to handle the heavier rainfall of the future while increasing the aesthetic appeal of the landscape. Different types of willow create texture, from low shrubs up to great golden weeping willows. Heather and long grasses connect the hospital to the heath, while cattails grow tall in the swales. These native plants encourage biodiversity and allow the hospital’s outdoor spaces to serve as an extension of nearby habitats.
• Project typology:
Psychiatry ward in hospital
• All architecture offices involved in the design:
AART, Nordic, SMAK and MidtConsult (nu AFRY)
• Other credits you need or wish to write:
Pictures: VEGA, Kontraframe
