Winner of the Best of the Best award
Serious illness turns life upside down and can lead the patient and their family into a deep crisis. For affected families, hospital visits quickly become intertwined with their daily lives. Their overall hospital experience depends not only on the outcome of the treatment itself but also on how they are received and what they experience between treatments.
Through a deep understanding of the needs of patients, their relatives, and the staff, Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital have designed a concept for a safe and coherent hospital experience before, during, and after the treatment itself – one where patients and relatives are met with empathy and receive a helping hand when they need it most.
They believe a more human-centered hospital experience will extend to other hospitals and sectors. MARY’S ambition is to be recognized not only as a human-centered hospital but also as a model example of a more human-centered healthcare for the future.
The Design Concept for the Future Hospital Experience is a collaborative effort between The Capital Region of Denmark, Ole Kirk’s Foundation, and Rigshospitalet.
The Jury says
MARYS is a marker of design’s progress in 2024 and where it’s headed: tackling significant societal issues with a grand and grounded approach deeply connected to essential needs in today’s world. The project goes beyond reimagining healthcare; it’s a call to designers and decision-makers to bring purpose and aesthetics into spaces that shape our lives.
MARYS sets a new benchmark, showing how design can make healthcare more than a clinical experience – it’s transformative, meaningful, and humane.
