15 YEARS OF LUFTHAFEN AT ALTONA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL – INTENSIVE CARE THAT REMAINS ALMOST INVISIBLE
15 years ago, the Lufthafen was established at Altona Children’s Hospital as a unique concept in Germany: a dedicated place for children and adolescents who require long-term ventilation and intensive medical care. As the Lufthafen celebrates its 15th anniversary, we look back on this project with a strong sense of connection and appreciation.
For us as a planning practice, the particular challenge lay in an apparent contradiction: How can you create a place where intensive medical care is provided around the clock, without children, adolescents and their families constantly feeling that they are in a medical environment?
The necessary medical infrastructure is present throughout the entire facility – including the residential areas. Ventilation, monitoring and medical care are naturally part of everyday life. At the same time, the technical equipment and medical requirements were integrated into the spaces in such a way that they remain as unobtrusive as possible and do not dominate the environment.
The medical care is always there – but it is not the first thing you notice.
Instead, the children and adolescents and their individual needs are at the heart of the concept. A communal living and dining area, individually designed bedrooms, a garden with raised beds and wheelchair-accessible play equipment, as well as a Snoezelen room, provide space for community, privacy, retreat and everyday life.
The aim was not to separate medical care from living, but rather to combine intensive medical care with as much normality as possible. Without the Lufthafen, many of the children and adolescents concerned would have had to live or remain for extended periods in intensive care units – an environment inevitably shaped by medical equipment, monitoring and clinical routines.
The Lufthafen offers a different spatial experience: the medical infrastructure is available at all times, but deliberately takes a back seat in everyday life. Despite the complex medical circumstances, the environment provides space for community, retreat, personal expression and everyday activities.
The growing demand for this special facility is also reflected in its development: the Lufthafen is now being expanded for the third time. These extensions are possible in part because future expansion was already considered in the original planning. The possibility of adding another floor was incorporated into the initial design and structurally prepared from the outset.
For us, this is a particularly strong affirmation of the original concept: a building should not only meet the requirements of its time, but ideally also be able to respond to future developments.
15 years after its opening, the Lufthafen is an impressive example of this – a place that continues to evolve because it is needed.
We warmly congratulate Altona Children’s Hospital and the entire Lufthafen team on their 15th anniversary and wish this very special place all the best for the future.