+ Hospitals +

[Bedhead]

There's been a bit of publicity about a hospital by Norman Foster in my neck of the woods. I'd be interested to hear if this is as innovative as some people are making out, or if the UK is just catching up with countries that spend more on health care.

Also, what do you think of the building? Do you like it? Is it a case of a starchitect's new clothes? Is the minimalist design sleek and appropriate or a bit, well, clinical? Could this be replicated on a larger scale, or is it only practical for high end, private clinics?

Please feel free to post examples from your region.

Originally Posted by The Observer

"We wanted to put hospitality into hospitals" says Ali Parsa, the eloquent, confident managing partner of health company Circle, and "a night in a hospital costs more than in a five-star hotel, so why shouldn't people get a similar experience?".....

In most cities, if you look for the most lumpen, ungainly, charmless building, hospitals from the 1960s and 1970s will be near the top of the list.....

Yet, according to another Circle medical partner, Jonathan Boulton, people are healthier if they are relaxed. Their heart rate is lower, he says, they bleed less in operations, require less aggressive anaesthetisation, and are more likely to respond well to their treatment....

The important things, according to Foster partner Spencer de Grey, are "the clarity of the basic diagram, generous space, easy orientation, natural light and natural materials". Corridors were abolished, where possible, and signs kept to a minimum, as the building is sufficiently clear for people to find their way about without them. Much of the floor is in oak, the architects having demonstrated that it would be no less hygienic than the more conventional lino. Lavender grows outside bedroom windows. Operating theatres, usually windowless, are here day-lit.

Full article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...-hospital-bath

There is also a video at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8569732.stm

And here are some pics:


dhome.ws/foster-partners-circlebathdhome



dhome.ws/foster-partners-circlebathdhome


http://www.architecturelist.com/2010...h-hospital-uk/ Architecture list


http://plusmood.com/2010/01/foster-p...bath-unveiled/+Mood

+Moodhttp://plusmood.com/2010/01/foster-p...bath-unveiled/

[RLS_rls]

It's clinical yet stylish, with a bit of a retro feel. The lobby looks like something out of a fancy 60s high-school. The rooms are a bit too cozy cozy for my tastes, but then I prefer sterile, high-tech looking hospitals. The layout is nice too. Overall I like it!

Unfortunately there's nothing similar in my city. The hospital here has a soaring, glass enclosed lobby that looks more like an airport than hospital.

[fordgtman1992]

Here is a brand new hospital in my city:

[WMrapids]

It's almost finished too!

[fordgtman1992]

Originally Posted by WMrapids

It's almost finished too!

Wow that's impressive

[Bedhead]

Thanks for your posts, everyone!

WMrapids, that truly is an impressive building. Do you have any renders of the inside?

Here's another hospital that has won praise for creating a building designed to be therapeutic in its own right.

The bright colours, different coloured rooms and landscaped areas of the Centro De Rehabilitacion Infantil Teleton are aimed at creating different emotions - from calm and reassurance to motivation and pleasure.













All images Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos, World Architecture Festival, http://www.worldbuildingsdirectory.c...ct.cfm?id=2136

[RLS_rls]

^I love how completely artificial those colours are. At the very least it makes a building stand out from others.

[Nowhereman1280]

Under Construction in Chicago right now:

Rush University Hospital

greenspacetoday.com

[Steely Dan]

my favorite hospital building in chicago is the former prentice womens hospital designed by betrand goldberg (architect of marina city). it's currently vacant (they built a new womens hospital nearby about 15 years ago) and is threatened with possible demolition, which would be an outright travesty in my opinion. i pray to the powers that be that an adaptive reuse can be found for this strange and wonderful building.


source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mss2400/3692419574/

[Bedhead]

You can say that again. Given the place Marina City has in Chicago's cityscape, it would surely be like London pulling down a Wren building.

It's interesting to see the parallels between this building and the one posted by Nowhereman. Those gorgeous curves must make for some interesting spaces inside the building.

Originally Posted by RLS_rls

^I love how completely artificial those colours are. At the very least it makes a building stand out from others.

Agreed! I wonder what it is about those really strong colours that attracts kids. The same seems to apply for food flavours, too...

[WMrapids]

@BedHead Sorry I don't have any renderings.

Here's a link to all of the medical things popping up in my city of Grand Rapids. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids_Medical_Mile

I'm sorry that some of this doesn't seem impressive, but maybe you'll change your mind if you check out the link above

[WMrapids]

.

[Bedhead]

Cool! Those vast concentrations of medical centers in the US are amazing - more like small towns than institutions. I'm not aware of anything approaching that in the UK - everything tends to be focussed on single medical schools or hospitals.

Those interior shots are interesting, too - it seems as though they've taken the 'hotel' model on board, too, with the seating areas and the greenery. Apparently, one positive spin off from this is that visitors tend to hang around for longer, which means they naturally augment the monitoring/care of the patients that the nurses do. This is especially important for people who are in hospital for a long time.

Thanks for posting - hope your interest in these places remains at one remove!

[mhays]

The Wiltshire project looks outdated already on the outside, but it's ok on the inside.

"Hotelizing" hospitals is certainly a phenomenon in the US.

[WMrapids]

Most of the things I posted are from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. It's crazy how much stuff we put into medicine here.

[pj3000]

Massive (1.3 million sq ft!!) new children's hospital in Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh (part of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - UPMC); LEED Silver certified









photo credits: http://www.chp.edu/CHP/Home



photos credits: skyscraperpage's own Matt Robinson

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

Memorial Sloan Kettering


http://www.pbase.com/image/74762428.jpg

[mhays]

I don't know what the deal is with ugly window systems these days...

[pj3000]

^^ That's not really a hospital. That's a biomedical research tower. Patients (and most doctors, nurses, etc.) won't ever enter that building, since it is not a clinical facility (which I believe is what the OP was asking for).

[LMich]

Rather generic, but Sparrow Health Systems here in Lansing completed a nearly 200-foot expansion tower, here, a few years back.


(self-taken)


(self-taken)


(self-taken)

The new tower includes a rooftop helipad, and an artistic feature: It has a crown that randomly changes colors at night. Because of it's location on a small hill, it sort of acts like a beacon you can see from all over the Eastside.

The best feature of the place, though, is one totally unintended. It has awesome views of the city skyline.

From the rooftop helipad:


Doug Langham