Nature as a healing force for children with cancer
At Børneriget, we are working with rooftop gardens that offer children with cancer and their families a healing break from diagnoses and illness.
In 2026, the Mary Elizabeth Hospital in Copenhagen will become home to some of the country’s most critically ill children and young people, along with their relatives.
The modern hospital will feature two accessible gardens: one on the rooftop for isolated children, and another in the center of the building, accessible to less severely ill patients and hospital staff.
Preparations include the creation of a test garden in front of Rigshospitalet’s main entrance. This test garden will collect both qualitative and quantitative insights from 400 “test users”—former patients—regarding spatial experience, identity, rest, nature, senses, and colors. Nature has already proven crucial in alleviating stress, pain, and depression, but there is a lack of specific knowledge about its healing effects on children and young people with cancer.
The rooftop gardens aim to create a space for staff and relatives to socialize, engage their senses, and take a break from diagnoses and illness.
Juul Frost Architects is responsible for the conceptualization and design of the gardens. The project is being developed in close collaboration with Idverde and Malmos Landscapes.
"The partnership demonstrates that when we think holistically, we create better architecture. Our diverse perspectives and areas of expertise lead to meaningful solutions that benefit both human well-being and the health of nature."
