"Hospital Park"

This project is the courtyard landscape design for Fukuoka Children’s Hospital Located on the ISLANDCITY. A variety of infrastructures are under construction in succession, such as apartments, hospitals, schools and fruit and vegetable market etc. on the ISLANDCITY, which is one of urban development areas in Fukuoka.

Most of medical facilities in children’s hospital are characterized by children’s exclusive use. We’ve gone through a course of research and discussion repeatedly from children’s perspective to realize the goal of ideal landscape design plan. As construction area is adjacent to the sea, we adopted the keyword “sea” as the main theme to be easy understandable and accessible to people in overall landscape. The design combines figurative elements connecting sea creature to seashore scenery directly and abstract elements evoking memories indirectly for the purpose of arousing children’s imagination and curiosity.

In addition, we tried to link the hospital to the surrounding areas continually in open ways to accomplish an unprecedented landscape design plan for the children’s hospital. All of all, consideration has been given to the characteristics of friendliness and accessibility similar to the open park, which generates a lively environment space within hospital by inviting landscape for the public.

/Communication Place (1F)
In mainly comprises linear pergola with width changes and flat bench in mollusks shapes, as well as garden roads in middle, etc. Pergola and bench can be seen as sea mollusks and floating clouds beside the sea, or starfish, which stimulate children’s facial features and strong imagination by big pictures with swaying images. Moreover, around the garden on the 1’s floor, it’s designed to maximize unobstructed view, aiming to retain continuity with surroundings in visual space, which creates an open and accessible space.

/Recreation Place (4F)
It mainly opens to hospitalized children and parents. A series of garden paths are strategically placed around the garden, which provide depth and breadth for this limited space. This roof plaza is a recreational place for walking with peaceful mind, rather than a space for active activity. Children and parents cannot only enjoy the sea views in distance as well as the street scenery, but also get rest and comfort

/View Place (4F)
Placed with an array of art works named “small fish groups”, the courtyard is not designed for activity, but a place to bring happiness to children in the ward. The mirror surface cannot only reflect changes of season and weather, but also add more expressions of the “small fish groups” visually. We hope that children who continue to receive daily treatments can be healed and encouraged by small fishes which are swimming positively, freely, generously and happily.