Healthcare Architecture: The Latest Architecture and News

The project, Diamond for Dementia by Haugen/ Zohar Arkitekter, is a winning entry in a competition for upgrading an outdoor electrical supplier in a healthcare center for people suffering from dementia. The project intention was to transform the supplier’s old concrete walls into a jewel, a diamond, giving a focal point to the space, which the user could relate to as a steady though ever-changing reference. Since dementia is a condition that impacts one’s memory and other sensory related functions that many of us may take for granted, this project can provide a healthy experience for patients suffering from the condition and a rewarding experience for visitors and other users at the center. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Sitting near the southern boundary of Foresterhill at the edge of the Westburn field, Snohetta’s plans for Maggie’s Cancer Care Center at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is envisioned as a pavilion within the parkland. The facilities will be mainly on the ground floor with a mezzanine area for office functions.

The Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation (EMF) and Maggie’s are raising £3m in an attempt to bring a Maggie’s Center to Foresterhill Hospital in Aberdeen to provide for the families of Grampian. Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest caner treatment center but is the only clinical center in Scotland not supported by Maggie’s.

The Rigshospital is well-defined by Fælledparken and Amorparken at it’s boundaries, and due to these park areas, the hospital campus exudes a unique ‘green’ potential. The buildings serve as an intermediary between the dense urban fabric on Blegdamsvej and the open natural areas to the north of the site. This interconnectedness strongly influenced the concept and form of this scheme by the team of COWI, WHITE Arkitekter, DEVE Architecture, LAND+ Landskabsarkitekter and Lyngkilde, leading to what could eventually become a hospital nestled within a lush, green, natural environment within the bustling urban center of Copenhagen. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The first prize winning proposal for the Nursing & Retiree Home, designed by Firma d.o.o., was directly influenced by the characteristics of the immediate surroundings of the plot. Through detailed site analysis, they concluded that the most important aspects of the context are the landscape and the extreme impact of the rural environment. Therefore, the proposed residence for the elderly, apart from fulfilling all functional prerequisites, must be consistent with those surrounding features. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The winning proposal for the new Panama City Hospital, designed by TASH, is based on the design of ecological protections and passive bioclimatic strategies. The project is configured as a city, it is in no way a single building but a complex, keeping the capacity of total intercommunication between different buildings in a way that benefits from the different synergies, general systems, logistics, production systems, waste disposal, etc, avoiding element duplicities and improving the general performance of the complex, thus giving sense to the concept of a hospital city that is at the core of the project. More images and architects’ description after the break.