ARG Studio has redeveloped and renovated the leisure area of the Pediatric Ward of Hospital São João in Porto, Portugal.

After years of expectation and media attention, the new Pediatric Ward of Hospital São João has become the benchmark for the renovation and innovation of the Portuguese Healthcare System.

The leisure area of the new Pediatric Ward of São João was a team effort, where the multidisciplinary design team – along with practitioners and social agents – aimed to use architecture and design as part of the physical, psychological and emotional healing process.

"Architecture set the colour, the colour engaged the illustration, and the illustration found the main character: the kite," said ARG Studio. "The kite flew out [of] the drawings into the Ward's entrance, where this story begins."

This project has been longlisted in the health and wellbeing interior category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Studio: ARG Studio (architecture and interiors)
Project: Leisure Area of Pediatric Ward of Hospital São João in Porto
Credits: Francisca Ramalho (Illustration) and Ivo Tavares Studio (photography)