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Nov 11, 2023

Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen / Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects + Mikkelsen Architects + STED

+ 27 Text description provided by the architects. Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC) is Northern Europe's largest hospital for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. It redefines the way we

+ 27

Text description provided by the architects. Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC) is Northern Europe's largest hospital for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. It redefines the way we perceive sickness and health, as it draws on the science behind how architecture combined with nature can be used not only to treat but also to prevent and educate. Designed in cooperation with users, the hospital incorporates warm materials, strategic flows, and daylight. It is organized around a large two-story garden with six smaller lush courtyards, with a public rooftop garden. The anodized aluminum façade frame has large glass sections that break the boundary between indoors and outdoors.

Studies show that traditional hospital settings can make healthy patients feel ill and weaken them physically and emotionally. Therefore, user involvement has been the common thread throughout the creation of SDCC with an emphasis on ensuring a pleasant experience in all stages of arrival, waiting, and consultation. The design rethinks the function of common areas, converting waiting time to active time and supporting a natural flow of activities around the themes of diet, exercise, and new knowledge.

The building and the garden landscapes at SDCC are closely interwoven in a biophilic design, creating a symbiosis between inside and out. Research shows that nature has positive effects on both mental and physical well-being. Therefore, the omnipresence of nature is a key architectural grip at SDCC serving as an integrated part of the treatment and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

People who spend time in green spaces are more likely to report good health, thus SDCC is designed around nature with the landscape visible everywhere. Warm wooden floors and ceilings serve as primary interior material as studies show that wooden interior reduces stress. The green spaces represent a biodiversity hub with varied vegetation providing a calm and educational space. The design of SDCC rests on the values of democracy as a place that embraces nature and the diversity and equality that life constitutes. It is a hospital that, by virtue of its scale, materiality, and atmosphere at all levels, puts the human at the center.

Upon arrival, a lush and undulating landscape greets visitors who enter through the main entrance. Here concrete in-situ cast pavements nudge naturally towards the grand staircase that invites visitors to ascend to the public rooftop garden. The garden is a biodiversity hub open for everyone to enjoy 24 hours, seven days a week. SDCC is embedded into the geometrical context of the Herlev Hospital grounds of the capital region, providing an easily accessible point of arrival. Visitors who arrive by car can use the SDCC building’s underground car park with 241 spaces or the spacious parking lot by the main entrance.