Cape of Hope is a new children’s oncology center – a national hospital belonging to Wrocław Medical University that treats children with cancer. Building work began in fall 2013 and was completed in summer 2015, when the hospital moved from its previous location to its new premises at Borowska 213. The hospital was officially opened on Monday, September 7th, and can now offer its patients the best possible care.
 

Initial situation: Construction of new children’s oncology center

The new children’s oncology center is the most up-to-date children’s hospital in Poland. With three storeys and 76 beds, it has plenty of space for its young patients. A new tunnel between the Cape of Hope center and the university teaching hospital allows fast transport between the two buildings. In addition, visitors can make use of 59 new underground parking spaces. The building was developed as a joint project by Wrocław Medical University (the property owner) and “Na ratunek dzieciom z chorobą nowotworową” (a charitable foundation that helps children with cancer). The foundation contributed PLN 2.5 million to the project, which also received PLN 85 million from EU funds and PLN 15 million from Poland’s Ministry of Health. Once the building was complete, 6,000 m² of wall surface area needed to be covered with a suitable wallpaper. The foundation was particularly keen to choose the best, most modern materials for the interior design. The property owner and investors wanted to be sure that the materials would meet safety standards relating to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that they would be capable of being cleaned with disinfectants and would be environmentally friendly. For the property owner, high fire safety standards were also a high priority.
 

Solution: SYSTEXX Comfort Glassfleece V22 (now named SYSTEXX Pure Fleece V22)

Wall coverings in the healthcare sector have to meet particularly high requirements, since they must not have a negative impact on the health or recovery of patients. The SYSTEXX glass fiber wall coverings from Vitrulan were the only wall coverings to combine all the specified characteristics, and actually offer additional features. All the fabrics and fleeces are certified to a flammability rating of Bs1-d0, can be disinfected, are easy to clean, suitable for allergy sufferers, create a healthy indoor atmosphere and are Oeko-Tex certified. SYSTEXX Comfort Glassfleece V22 (now named SYSTEXX Pure Fleece V22) also guarantees continuous smooth surfaces without any visible seams. Thanks to its water vapor permeability (sd value of 0.03 m), it can even be hung on walls that are not quite dry. Like nearly all SYSTEXX glass fiber wall coverings, SYSTEXX Comfort Glassfleece V22 (now named SYSTEXX Pure Fleece V22) comes with Aqua technology: an adhesive coating on the back that just needs to be activated with water. This means that there is no need to apply adhesive to the wall coverings at all and labor time is reduced by between 30% and 40%.

The result: Center opens on time thanks to quick application

To bring some visual movement into the building, most of the 6,000 m² of glass fleece was printed with colorful patterns specially designed by students at the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts. These were hung in the treatment and transplant rooms, the children’s lounge and social areas, and in the wards, corridors, children’s play area in the main hall, as well as in the hotel wing that has rooms for parents and children. Thanks to the Aqua technology, hanging the fabric was quick and easy and the new children’s oncology center was able to open on time.