Lüdenscheid Children's Hospital
Pathbreaking floorcovering

The company of Märkische Kliniken GmbH converted three existing units of the Lüdenscheid clinical centre into a new children's hospital to improve the management of sick children. The parties involved attached special attention to an attractive design of the environment as well as an easily understandable orientation system. Children and their parents are shown the way through inlays in the floorcovering.

The Lüdenscheid Children's Hospital looks back to a history of 40 years and since that time has developed into a specialised hospital covering all needs of paediatrics. The hospital belongs to the company of Märkische Kliniken GmbH and was housed in a building in the Hohfuhrstraße for many years. This building no longer met the requirements of a modern children's hospital with regard to equipment and layout and the partially intensive cooperation with other departments became very difficult. In order to be able to better treat, manage and care for the sick children in future, it was decided to house the children's hospital on the 2nd floor of the existing main building in the Paulmannshöher Straße.

Guidance and orientation system with a high recall value

The principal entrusted the planning office of Korte Kaldewey Wortmann (KKW), Altena, with the task to convert the former adult ward into an attractively designed and at the same time functional unit for children and adolescents. The parties involved attached particular attention to creating an environment where both children and adults feel at ease and which also distinguishes itself from other hospital units. In addition to the conversion measures, the architects thus developed an attractive and easily understandable guidance and orientation system in cooperation with the staff of the children's hospital. It links the location of the building wing to the names of the three different hospital areas and also possesses a high recall value. A yellow polar star, e.g., characterises the building wing towards the north, an orange-coloured sun points to the east and a blue wave symbolises the west. This is rounded off by a green shamrock for the south.

For the visual implementation of the guidance concept, the architects used the floorcovering, a specific lighting and the colour design of the walls. The symbols embedded in the floor receive patients, accompanying persons and visitors at the lift on the 2nd floor and guide them to and through the relevant unit with the help of serpentine lines of the same colour. The colour design of the room alcoves, smaller floorcovering inlays as well as wall and ceiling lights matched to this divide the long corridors into structured sections.

"For this measure, the principal attached great importance to the economy and the use of ecological materials. The floorcovering thus had to be a durable, easy-to-clean and ecologically safe material which in addition had to be installed with ecologically safe adhesives", said the architect Linus Wortmann. A further important aspect was that the floorcovering is available in many colours to implement the guidance and orientation system and facilitates a reliable, cost-effective performance of the inlays. Since the architect has already gained positive experience with floorcoverings made of rubber and the related design options in the past, a decision was made in favour of noraplan signa of nora systems GmbH, Weinheim.

This floorcovering was specifically developed for the demands in hospitals, nursing homes and rehab hospitals. In order to precisely define and then implement its properties and colour for this target group, the manufacturer, nora systems GmbH, cooperated with European and American architects as well as Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest providers in health care in the USA. In joint workshops, the parties involved developed the criteria which had to be met by the floorcovering. Among these are e.g. the aspects functionality, stain resistance to body liquids and hospital media, electrostatic conductivity, walking comfort, safety in case of fire, eco-compatibility, economy and long life. With regard to design and colour, they took care that the floorcovering can be used universally and at the same time fits the furniture and medical devices. Like all other nora floorcoverings, noraplan signa does not contain any PVC or halogens (e.g. chlorine). In case of fire, the floorcovering thus does not release any hydrochloric gas which might lead to caustic burns of the respiratory tract and might form hydrochloric acid in combination with fire fighting water.

Floorcovering can be fully disinfected even with inlays

nora floorcoverings in general have an extremely dense, closed and thus dirt-repelling surface with a lower contamination behaviour, improved hygienic properties and thus require less cleaning and care. In the children's hospital, the floorcovering with the high-performance surface coating nora cleanguard plus was installed. It increases the positive properties and guarantees that no initial cleaning and no initial polishing are required.

In the Lüdenscheid children's hospital, approx. 2,100 square metres of noraplan signa in a bright, warm beige colour were installed. The central theme of the guidance and orientation system was produced by nora systems GmbH in its Weinheim facilities, the cutting of the serpentine lines was performed at site based on the architect's drawings. An advantage during cutting and inlay embedding was that the sheets remain absolutely dimensionally stable and in general are not joint-sealed. The floorcovering nevertheless remains fully disinfectable as evidenced by an expert opinion of the Hygiene Institute of the University of Heidelberg.

The company of Märkische Kliniken GmbH invested around Euro 1.3 million in the new children's hospital. Together with the neonatal intensive care unit, which is housed adjacent to obstetrics, there are now a total of 60 beds for children and adolescents. This is rounded off by a new patient reception, an out-patient waiting area with play-ship, a new training and seminar room with kitchen for diabetics, several playrooms as well as attractively designed day rooms. They do not only improve the management of the children but at the same time optimise the interdisciplinary integration and economy of the hospital.

Data

Principal:
Märkische kliniken GmbH, 58515 Lüdenscheid

Planning:
Korte Kaldeway Wortmann KKW Architekten, Altena

Photographs: nora systems GmbH

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With 28 hospitals and institutes, around 1,000 beds and more than 2,100 employees, the Lüdenscheid clinical centre is the largest hospital in South-Westphalia.

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The symbols embedded in the floor receive patients, accompanying persons and visitors at the lift on the 2nd floor...

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... and guide them to and through the relevant unit with the help of serpentine lines of the same colour.

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Coloured room alcoves as well as wall and ceiling lights divide the long corridors into structured sections.

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The central theme was produced in nora's facilities, the cutting of the serpentine lines was performed at site based on the architect's drawings.

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Facilities like the play-ship in the waiting area of the out-patient department create an environment where both children and parents can feel at ease.