In one of China’s fastest-growing urban districts, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital Longhua Campus transforms a high-capacity medical complex into a child-centered healing landscape.

Located at the intersection of Minzhi Boulevard and Minle Road in Shenzhen’s Longhua District, the hospital responds to the needs of a dense and rapidly developing metropolitan area. Its position within a vibrant urban pattern, close to major transport and commercial nodes, strengthens its role as both a medical destination and a civic anchor.

The client’s ambition was to create a leading pediatric institution for the Greater Bay Area: a regional medical center capable of expanding clinical capacity, improving access to specialized care and supporting future models of smart, community-oriented healthcare. The €350 million project supports a standardized clinical model between the Longhua and Futian campuses, including rotating expert teams and consistent diagnosis and treatment standards.

With 360,000 square meters of gross floor area, 1,500 beds, and the capacity to serve up to 10,000 outpatients per day, the campus accommodates medical complexity without becoming overwhelming for children, families or staff. The design therefore addresse operational performance at the scale of a major hospital and emotional comfort at the scale of a child equally.

The concept is based on the idea of lowering and softening the medical building. The hospital is organized as a clear base structure with four patient towers above. Diagnostic, treatment, outpatient, emergency, teaching, administrative and public functions are arranged within a system of adjacencies, while inpatient areas are lifted into calm, light-filled towers. A clear central axis structures the building from within, supporting intuitive navigation and efficient movement across the campus.

The building mass was shaped to maximize daylight, natural ventilation and spatial clarity. Through subdivision, stepping and the creation of courtyards, the hospital volume is broken down into a series of more legible and welcoming spaces. Small courtyards bring daylight into patient areas and help deep-plan zones to connect to the outside. This improves comfort for patients and staff while reducing the building’s perceived scale.

Between the base and the towers, a green intermediate level introduces a public open space into the heart of the complex. Courtyards, atria, landscaped terraces and visual connections to greenery offer moments of orientation, pause and relief, turning circulation into part of the healing experience rather than a purely functional necessity. These outdoor and semi-outdoor areas also support natural ventilation, microclimate regulation and emotional wellbeing.

The design recognizes that a child never comes alone. Families, caregivers and staff are all part of the healthcare environment. Patient rooms and waiting areas are therefore planned to support shared use, with more space for parents and family members. Interiors use warm colors, intuitive wayfinding, generous daylight and child-friendly proportions to reduce stress and create familiarity. Playful areas, welcoming waiting spaces and themed treatment environments help transform fear into trust, while staff benefit from clear workflows, natural light, and pleasant working conditions.

Color is used as both an emotional and organizational tool. The facade combines a coordinated system of windows, parapets, color metal panels, ventilation boxes and planted elements to create a lively yet ordered appearance. The color palette helps soften the scale of the hospital, supports orientation and contributes to a child-friendly identity without compromising the technical precision of the building envelope.

Sustainability is a core design principle rather than an afterthought. The hospital is designed to meet green building standards and employs optimized material selections and construction strategies to reduce both embodied and operational CO₂ emissions.

Nature-based solutions play a key role in the design. Courtyards and atria enhance natural ventilation and daylight penetration, reducing reliance on artificial lighting and mechanical systems while improving indoor environmental quality. Landscaped and planted areas contribute to microclimate regulation and support the well-being of patients, staff, and visitors. Durable, low-maintenance materials ensure a long service life and reduced lifecycle costs. The modular design approach further enhances whole-life value by enabling future adaptations and expansions without extensive interventions or significant resource consumption. Taken together, these measures ensure environmental responsibility, operational resilience, and long-term economic sustainability.

Beyond its clinical function, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital Longhua Campus acts as a social anchor for the district. Integrated public amenities, health education, and community-oriented services extend the hospital’s role into the everyday life of the city. The result is a technically robust and deeply humane healthcare campus - one that brings medical excellence, urban integration and hope together in a healing environment for the next generation.