The prestigious prize is awarded to a project in psychiatric care that “through innovative design thinking, achieves a reconciliation between the needs of the patient/resident for a humanistic environment that supports ongoing therapy, care and recovery, and the requirement for appropriate levels of safety, security and supervision”. And during today’s prize ceremony, the project was highly commended.
White Arkitekter highly commended in European Healthcare Design Awards
Our design for the Psychiatric clinic at Södra Älvsborg Hospital was highly commended in the European Healthcare Design Awards 2021. The health-promoting hospital is recognised for its humanist design approach in the Mental Health Design category.
We are honored and proud to receive this recognition in the Mental Health Design category for our joint efforts to focus on psychiatric environments at the most prestigious award for healthcare projects in an international context.
Cristiana Caira, Lead Architect
Västra Götaland Region’s property management company, Västfastigheter, has been driving the project to build the psychiatric quarter, and a large part of the project has been about contributing to destigmatisation of psychiatric care and its patients. Through close dialogue with users, the clinic was designed to promote patient independence, freedom, and autonomy. At the same time, the architects created a calm and safe environment for staff, relatives and visitors.
The guiding principle has been that a beautiful environment encourages a concern for the premises and those who occupy them. The two buildings are linked by a square filled with patients, relatives, students, and staff. The ground floor of one of the buildings houses a café for meetings, relaxation, and socialising.
– We are very proud and happy that a project that improves the lives of patients in psychiatric care is being recognised in this context. By bringing together all psychiatry in Borås and through increased cooperation between adult psychiatry and paediatric psychiatry, we are also creating the conditions for a clearer whole for the patient, says Boubou Hallberg, Hospital Director at Södra Älvsborg Hospital.
The creation of Södra Älvsborg’s Psychiatric clinic is based on the patient's perspective and needs. Neutral conversation rooms provide conditions for equal encounters and both indoor and outdoor environments are calm and healing.
Boubou Hallberg, Hospital Director at Södra Älvsborg Hospital
Södra Älvsborg’s Psychiatric clinic was completed in autumn 2020. Despite its young age, the building has already been recognised for its architecture. In 2013, White Arkitekter’s design won the WAN Award for Best Future Healthcare Building.
The European Healthcare Design Awards are organised by Architects for Health and SALUS Global Knowledge Exchange with the aim of contributing to the development of knowledge and standards in the design of healthcare environments around the world.
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