Rosan Bosch Studio: Creating Healing Environments Through Play
Mary Elisabeth Hospital is a new paediatric wing set to open at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. With a strategic play design approach, Rosan Bosch Studio helps rethink healthcare through child-centred design. The project exemplifies of how cross-sector collaboration between architecture, design, and healthcare can create environments that are both healing and human-focused.
A new kind of hospital where play, care, and healing come together
Rigshospitalet is developing Mary Elisabeth Hospital, a dedicated wing for children, young people, pregnant women, and their families, scheduled to open in 2027. Here, play is a core part of daily life, seamlessly integrated into treatment and recovery to help children feel more at ease, reduce stress, and regain a sense of control during their stay.
Rosan Bosch Studio was appointed as strategic design partner to ensure that play was central from the very beginning. They created a comprehensive play framework that guides how play is incorporated throughout the hospital, adapted to each child’s age, medical needs, and social context. This framework allows children to engage in recreational play in communal areas, diagnostic play with healthcare professionals, and structured play with family members in patient rooms - whether mobile or bedridden.
Carefully selected colors, materials, and forms contribute to a calming, homelike atmosphere that extends through therapy rooms, patient areas, and shared spaces. Instead of moving children between departments, specialists come to them, making play an integral part of care rather than a distraction.
The project is unfolding through close collaboration with 3XN, Arkitema Architects, Niras, Kristine Jensens Tegnestue, the Capital Region of Denmark, Rigshospitalet, and the Ole Kirk’s Foundation, bringing together expertise in architecture, design, engineering, and healthcare. The result will be a human-centred hospital where play, care, and healing converge, supporting children and families at every step of their journey.
About Rosan Bosch Studio
Rosan Bosch Studio creates environments that empower people to thrive - mentally, socially, and emotionally. Founded in 2011 by artist and designer Rosan Bosch, the studio combines architecture, design, and science to support playful learning and healing. With projects spanning schools, cultural institutions, and hospitals, their evidence-based approach is rooted in six core design principles that promote creativity, flexibility, and human-centred experiences. Headquartered in Copenhagen and Madrid, the studio is internationally recognised for transforming spaces into drivers of positive change.