UZA

The outdoor space of Antwerp University Hospital was designed as a functional and healing landscape, aligned with the scale and intensity of the hospital environment. The design supports orientation, movement and calm, making the outdoor space a full part of daily experience for patients, visitors and staff. The arrival zone is characterised by staggered bands of paving that naturally guide visitors to the entrance. This paving is flanked on both sides by green strips with vegetation specifically suited to the site’s heavy clay soil. The result is a clear, legible route where paving and planting remain balanced. At strategic points, outdoor furniture by Panache was integrated. These seating and staying elements invite pause and encounter and strengthen the human character of the care environment, without disrupting the functional operation of the site. For staff, a green walking route in exposed aggregate concrete was designed. This route offers space to step away briefly from the work environment and supports relaxation and mental recovery during the workday. The material choice provides a restrained, durable look that aligns with the hospital’s architecture. Due to the height and density of the surrounding buildings, shade is a defining factor in the design. For that reason, a lush planting concept was chosen with shade-tolerant, jungle-like species. This vegetation creates a layered green image that radiates calm and at the same time evokes a strong sense of nature experience within an urban and medical context. In this way, the landscape architecture provides a soft, human counterbalance to the scale of the hospital and strengthens wellbeing, orientation and everyday quality of stay.