datasheet
-
client
ZOL -
project
Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg -
year
2023 -
location
Genk / Belgium -
photography
Carlo Prearo -
description
ZOL in Genk, Belgium, is a large and highly complex hospital spanning more than 100,000 m². In an environment of this scale, orientation is not a detail — it is essential. People need to find their way quickly, calmly, and safely, even when they are under stress, in pain, or feeling uncertain.
Our work began with an in-depth study of the hospital’s internal logic: how services operate, how the buildings are zoned, the circulation flows, and the realities of day-to-day operations. In parallel, we mapped the different user profiles. Genk and its region have a strong international population, so readability, language, and cultural context were decisive. We also considered the emotional state of patients and visitors: in a hospital, communication must be accurate while remaining reassuring, simple, and human.
From this foundation, we developed a full wayfinding strategy for a new approach to spatial communication. The core of the project was the radical simplification of information and the creation of a friendly, clear, and intuitive coding system. We used direct language and designed our own pictograms, ensuring fast recognition and universal comprehension, regardless of language or literacy level.
Hospital sectors were organised through an alphabetical and colour-based code, supported by a specific contrast and colour-blindness study, guaranteeing clear distinctions between zones and routes without ambiguity. The strategy was translated into a global system and implemented in the new R building as a pilot project, delivering immediate impact: clearer navigation, reduced pressure on staff, and a smoother, more direct visitor flow.
The result is a wayfinding system that guides with lightness and precision, supporting people discreetly yet continuously, so they can move through the hospital with confidence and safety.