Small Hospital
September 2018 - February 2019
Individual Project · Bachelor Level · Architectural Engineering
Course: Architectural Design IV
This course focuses on creating large-scale public buildings with complex functions, diverse spaces, and intricate interconnections. It emphasises resolving sophisticated spatial communications while integrating practical standards, regulations, and environmental considerations. The projects require a multidimensional design approach, addressing structure, systems, and spatial performance, while ensuring a cohesive architectural vision.
A hospital’s primary design objective is to create clearly defined spaces that facilitate efficiency and comfort. In this project, my design integrates seamlessly with the site, providing an organised structure with distinct zones that retain their individuality while maintaining a harmonious relationship. The complex consists of 26 rooms, a clinic, laboratories, and other essential departments. The landscape complements the architectural design, contributing to the overall atmosphere by providing semi-open areas that offer an inviting and therapeutic environment for both patients and their visitors. These spaces help create a sense of openness, allowing the site to breathe.
Zoning and Functional Separation
In line with light regulations, the administration offices are placed in the west wing, keeping them separate from the hospital’s main functions but ensuring connectivity through a bridge. This separation allows for a clear distinction between the administrative and clinical zones, reducing potential disruptions. Meanwhile, the restaurant and other comfort facilities are strategically positioned on the ground floor, near the entrance. This placement serves as a transition point, providing convenient access to visitors and staff while separating these non-clinical spaces from the hospital’s functioning areas.
Layout and Spatial Organisation
From a top-down perspective, the layout forms an 'H' shape, a clear reflection of the hospital's function. The design process began by identifying the necessary spatial relationships and determining how these spaces should interact. Once the core connections were established, the design of individual spaces followed, ensuring a seamless flow between departments and rooms. This approach allowed the layout to be both functional and intuitive, catering to the diverse needs of patients, staff, and visitors.
Landscaping and Patient Experience
The landscape plays a crucial role in the overall design, serving not just as a decorative feature but as a key element in enhancing the therapeutic environment. By incorporating semi-open spaces and gardens, the site offers patients and visitors areas for relaxation and reflection, improving their overall experience. These open spaces also contribute to the sense of openness throughout the hospital, promoting a connection to nature and offering a much-needed escape from the clinical surroundings.
Reflection
This project was by far the most complex architectural challenge I have undertaken. The intricacy lay not only in the size of the building but in the strict regulations and intricate zoning requirements, balancing areas such as cardiac care, emergency facilities, and other specialised departments, each with its own functional relationships. Navigating these demands required a high level of organisation and problem-solving, making the process both intense and highly educational. While I am proud of the final result, I recognise that hospital design is an area with endless depth, and there is still much more for me to learn and refine in future projects.