Spatial branding for a connected healthcare experience
The University Medical Centre Utrecht, one of the largest hospitals in the Netherlands, is undertaking a major transformation. As partner for identity and experience, Silo developed a strategy that translates the organisation’s brand into the spatial environment. Through calm, clarity, and consistency, the aim is to make every encounter feel unmistakably UMC Utrecht, reducing stress, improving navigation, and adding a sense of wonder.
Client
University Medical Centre Utrecht
Partners
Architect: atelier Pro
View on the sprawling UMC Utrecht campus from the sky.
A complex in need of clarity
Originally designed by EGM in 1989, the UMC Utrecht building complex, which also encompasses the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ), has expanded repeatedly over the decades. Inconsistent materials, high-contrast colours, and visual clutter across this sprawling environment create overstimulation and make navigation stressful.
Over the coming 25+ years, Atelier PRO‘s visual quality masterplan will guide extensive upgrades to enhance sustainability, unify logistics, and respond to the diverse needs of patients, visitors, staff, and researchers.
Spatial branding strategy
Complementing the masterplan, Silo translated UMC Utrecht’s values into a spatial branding strategy that gives the hospital a clear, consistent identity across interior and exterior spaces. The approach is built around two key components: a spatial brand guide that defines the visual and experiential language, and beacons that connect the user experience across touchpoints – from arrival and orientation to being welcomed and waiting.
Current view of one atria in UMC Utrecht. In their approach, atelier PRO applied an urban planning way of thinking, distinguishing between a 'baseline' and 'counterpoints' in the interior.
Beacons for clarity and guidance
The principle of beacons integrates hospitality, wayfinding, and on-site communication. This network is conceived to smooth journeys, reduce stress, and help users navigate the hospital intuitively, translating intent into tangible, user-focused interventions. By uniting these layers, the hospital communicates with patients in a friendly and engaging manner.
A blueprint for the future
All elements are captured in a spatial brand guide, detailing how design decisions reflect UMC Utrecht’s identity. The guide ensures consistency across the campus, makes differences in function and atmosphere feel logical rather than disjointed, and serves as a practical reference for future phases.
The WKZ children’s hospital is the first area to bring this to life, setting the tone for a connected, value-driven healthcare environment and a blueprint for the hospital’s long-term transformation.
