This busy department at Chelsea has been transformed into a calming, resilient and neurodivergent-friendly environment that supports outstanding paediatric emergency care.
This busy 24/7 service cares for hundreds of patients every week. The environment had not been updated for more than a decade and no longer reflected the exceptional standard of care delivered by the clinical team.
Early consultation with clinical staff helped us identify the key priorities for the transformation. For the clinical team, a functional, robust and durable space was essential. Alongside these practical requirements, consultation highlighted a desire for a calming, distraction-rich environment and, crucially, one accessible to all. A significant proportion of paediatric patients have developmental needs, including neurodivergence. Prioritising accessibility shaped decision making at every stage of the project.
CW+ worked closely with clinical colleagues, the Trust Estates Team, architect White Arkitekter and contractor Ensigna to deliver this project in August 2025.
Conversations with the Clinical Leads gave us a clear understanding of the patient journey and insight into the challenges of the existing space. Patients arrive in a wide range of states – some visibly unwell, distressed or overwhelmed, others much calmer and more subdued. The department becomes increasingly busy throughout the day and into the night, and patients are often accompanied by multiple adults.
The existing seating layout was inadequate, so an increase in capacity was factored into the designs, incorporating softer furnishings and bespoke bench seating, supplied by Teal, for a more comfortable waiting experience.
The architects used their signature wood-effect laminates to create bespoke seating nooks that increase capacity by making use of previously unused space. They also fulfil the requirement for a neurodiverse-friendly department by creating comfortable spaces for patients to retreat to, away from the communal benches.
In response to safety concerns about earlier freestanding chairs, all furniture is now fixed in place.
Other changes included an upgrade to the lighting system – particularly important in an area that lacks natural light. We replaced the cool blue lighting with warmer tones that can be controlled by clinicians, enabling them to dim the space in accordance with the time of day. This allows the team to respond to patient needs and better support patients who may be sensitive to bright lighting.
Flooring was replaced throughout the waiting area and in the two triage rooms with a hardwearing off-white material that helps brighten the spaces.
We upgraded signage in the space to reduce visual noise and improve how key information is shared with patients and families. This is now delivered through digital screens that clinical teams can update quickly, reducing clutter and limiting sensory overload.
The ceiling was also upgraded with a sound-absorbing material to help reduce noise and improve overall comfort.
Bespoke, site-specific art was a central part of the Children’s Emergency Department’s transformation. Together, these works help create a more welcoming and reassuring environment for children and families.
CW+ worked with Irish artist Gráinne Nagle to commission Shapescape, a series of artworks inspired by local landmarks and reimagined in her signature abstract style. The abstract shapes encourage distraction and imaginative play, inviting children to either spot familiar landmarks or interpret the shapes in their own way.
Gráinne spent several days in the department, consulting with patients and staff. Based on these conversations she developed several design options, which were then shared with users of the space for feedback before final designs were created.
Each component was cut by hand and assembled in a marquetry-style process to create collage, the primary medium of Gráinne’s work. Careful consideration was given to the colour palette, with neuro-friendly colours a priority.
With the need for robust, durable designs in mind, a joinery material was used for the two main artworks in the series. MILK Furniture produced these bespoke pieces, with the individual shapes cut out and pieced together before installation. This created a textured look while still complying with infection prevention and control regulations. The placement of the artworks in the two seating nooks creates an opportunity for interaction, designed particularly with neurodivergent patients in mind.
Gráinne’s series continues across the four main windows in the waiting area, providing privacy and additional visual interest. The designs continue the colour palette but introduce new abstract landscapes for patients to explore. Frieze-style artworks in the two triage rooms further support patient distraction.
Alongside Shapescape, the transformed waiting area has two new digital artworks:
CW+ worked with Art Explora to commission a large-scale interactive piece. The design was informed by patient and staff workshops and discussion.
Currently, a colourful, abstract work from Art Explora’s It Is Now series is displayed. The final interactive work, developed by Sony, will be installed later in 2026, featuring realistic skies, clouds and hot air balloons that respond to the movements of those standing in front of it. The content can be updated and changed over time.
The old department featured a digital fish tank displayed on two low-level screens, which needed to be updated. Long-time CW+ collaborator Zheyuan Zhang of Studio Inneract created Deepsea Aperture, a live-rendered digital installation projecting dynamic, photorealistic underwater scenes of the deep ocean.
The constantly shifting and evolving seascape, with its marine life and calming colours, offers both distraction and playfulness. CW+ upgraded the screens but kept them at a low level to encourage interaction from younger patients.
The department has been renamed the Robert DS Dangoor Children’s Emergency Department, in recognition of the generous donation from The Exilarch’s Foundation that made the transformation possible.
Trustee Michael Dangoor said: ‘[We] are honoured to support the CW+ Thirty at Thirty campaign and the amazing work of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Our donation is […] in memory of our brother Robert, who used the hospital extensively.’
Stay in touch
If you are happy to hear from us about news, fundraising, events, volunteering opportunities and how your donation is supporting our hospitals, please fill in your details below.
"*" indicates required fields
