Royal Papworth Hospital

Futurecity wrote the Arts Strategy for Royal Papworth Hospital as part of its relocation from Papworth Everard to the heart of Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Royal Papworth is the UK’s largest and most reputable heart and lung hospital. It currently treats over 22,800 inpatient and day cases and 53,400 outpatients each year from across the UK. The new 310 bed hospital provides state-of-the-art cardiothoracic services with some of the world’s leading specialists.

The Arts Strategy created the ‘The Living Building’ concept, and conceived opportunities for embedding contemporary art throughout the hospital environment from the grand scale of the entrances to the intimate scale of private interview rooms for patients’ families.

The concept focussed on natural rhythms including the 24hr day and the annual seasons. It embraced the approach of art engaging the 5 senses and connecting hospital staff, patients and visitors to the natural world.

The Arts Strategy set up 4 large scale permanent art commissions as part of the hospital design that Futurecity went on to deliver through to completion:

1. Engaging MAIN ENTRANCES
2. OUTPIENT Waiting Room & CRITICAL CARE
3. Bespoke INPATIENT Bedrooms
4. Thematic ORIENTATION & IDENTITY across the hospital

Read more about the Royal Papworth Hospital Arts Programme here.
Photography © Skanska