Key Precedence

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/feb/21/royal-london-hospital-play-space

The Royal London Hospital Play Scape

This surreal oversize living room is the work of Cottrell and Vermeulen architectsand 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. 

The TV features an interactive game, developed by designer Chris O'Sheawith 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.

"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.