The Ways of Adjusting Hospitals For Children To The Needs of The Child – The Example of Meyer Children Hospital In Florence, Italy

Designing child hospitals is a complex, multi-layered process. Research shows, the patients’ environment has influence on the process of treatment. The feelings of isolation, powerlessness, discomfort and stress can be exacerbated by a inadequate design. Currently, many hospitals are built around the world, in which the design should help process of treatment. One of them is the Meyer Hospital in Florence, Italy, which is an excellent example of an interesting, functional and surprising hospital. The authors of the paper describe the urbanistic and architectural features as well as some elements of interior design, which have been adjusted to the perceptual and physical abilities of children. Some features of good design have also been distinguished, which can be applied also in the low-cost redecoration of the already existing hospitals. Thie aim of the article is to show a variety of possibilities in child hospital design. The article also shows that a hospital can be place which is attractive for patients, visitors, staff and even – owing to an interesting project – tourists.