The ideal daycare

Abstract

This thesis describes the design process of the ideal daycare for Sophia Kinderziekenhuis as part of Erasmus MC. The hospital finds itself at the start of a renovation process that will possibly give Sophia an entirely new space. This new building will only be ready in 7 years, which is why the result of this project is twofold; a design proposal for an ideal situation in a new building and a shortlist of recommendations to improve the current situation in the short term.
The report is structured according to the double diamond process. The discovery will elaborate on the interior design process itself, the current situation at WKZ and SKZ, brainstorm sessions with the staff and interviews with the parents and children. It shows the daycare is extremely noisy, insensitive to privacy, inconveniently arranged, boring, outdated and not stress relieving for any of the users involved.


The insights of the discovery are condensed into 6 persona’s and 3 design drivers, which combined form the design vision of the ideal daycare. There are 2 parent-persona’s: Matt and Julie, with a distinction in time spent at the daycare. There are 3 children-persona’s: Ethan, Olivia and Jackie, with a distinction in tolerance for external stimuli. Finally there is a single staff-persona: Sarah, because there are no clear distinctions in value sets between different staff members. The 3 design drivers are defined as privacy, routine and atmosphere, and each of the three user groups has a different view on each of these drivers. These views combined will form a definition of what the ideal daycare means to them.
The development describes three iterations, each one pushing the design forwards in a different way and concluded by a simulation with one of the stakeholders. The first one was about creating maximum improvement with minimal change, which invoked a pivot in the project after the simulation with the architect. The second iteration revolved around ideating on the ideal arrangement of all the spaces, which was simulated with managing partners of the department. The third round focussed on developing different design solutions for each of the area’s, so that they could be combined into concept arrangements for the ideal daycare. These concepts were used for simulation with the daycare staff, who gave feedback on the designs and then made an ideal version of their own.
The delivery focuses on the visualisation of a final design proposal. It shows several impressions from an eye-level perspective of what the modern future of Sophia could look like. It applies a nature theme with a large tree that anchors the space, symbolizes health, growth and serenity, and is functional as sound isolation, table and play area. There is a central coffeecounter for the parents, secluded beds for enough rest and a separated staff area.The project is concluded with a set of recommendations for short term improvement. The hospital should invest in - amongst other things - a daily food service, freeing up spaces for an extra treatment room, better chairs, a proper break room with comfortable couches, and sound absorbing furniture.