ECHIPA:
Autor principal: MOD studio
arh. Cosmin Morarescu, arh. stag. Beatrice Grindean, arh. stag. Rodica Luchian, arh. Andreea Morarescu, peisagist Marius Morarescu
Coautor: arh. Carles Tolomeiu
Colaboratori arhitectură:
arh. Vlad Oniga, arh. Adrian Urda, arh. Radu Sabau
Randari: SOLID element
CHILDRENS HOSPITAL - CLUJ-NAPOCA
2021
URBAN CONCEPT
CONCEPT
The idea behind the project revolves around the connection with the park, and creating a friendly space, warm and welcoming, and as NON-intimidating for the children as possible. The hospital floats above the ground, on a green platform, perforated with parks and vegetation, hiding the main access in a friendly manner, without overwhelming the children with the sight of massive buildings.
The main buildings, covered in a white shading facade, resemble clouds, with slightly rounded, soft and nurturing shapes, which guide the eyes either towards the park or the sky.
A design guided by functionality, social support design, and technical efficiency, the main buildings are pragmatic, easy to manage and to expand in the future as modular blocks, in contrast with the main access platform which represents a very intentional architectural distraction from the concerns of daily hospital functionality.
The four modular hospital buildings are a generated enclosure, which respond to the requirements for light, accessibility, shading and urban scale in an easy controllable way, while at the same time keeping in mind future expansion possibilities.
THE PARK - surrounding the building dissipates into the main platform, through the different spatial elements created around the main platform, generating a space that invites the public both inside and outside. Children coming in are not intimidated by the upcoming experience unnecessarily, and people inside, are attracted into the surrounding park.
Further from the hospital grounds, on the western side of the site, the park creates a barrier protecting the hospital from the noise and pollution of the road, both through tree density and through an artificial hill created by using the excavated earth from the construction of the hospital. The tree density and park wilderness becomes more subdued the closer it is to the hospital, landscaping and mineral paving becoming more prominent underneath the main platform of the hospital, this transition creates a very gradual and unconscious change in urban typology. The suggested diffusion of the paving within the park is created in order to maximize diffusion between spaces, and to encourage and attract pedestrians and cyclists in the park.
At an urban scale, sculptural animals are inserted throughout the ground floor space and the park in order to create a more tangible distraction, and a reason for the children to experience the space and find hope in art.
All chosen plants are hypoallergenic species, which do not create excessive amounts of pollen, in order to not irritate patients, Also a perennial approach is considered through the use of coniferous species, which keep the green aspect of the park throughout the entire year.
OBJECTIVES:
1 Creating a harmonious connection with the city and society
2 Providing optimal physical and emotional support to patients and families through design choices.
3 Adapting the hospital to include academic activities for future physicians.
4 Creating an easily manageable institution, which can generate income and function sustainably and independently.
SUSTAINABILITY
Hospital integration into a supersized park is the main element of the design. Concealing the dimensions of the hospital, and reusing as much of the excavated soil in order to create a protective barrier from the motorway noise and pollution, working in unison with the tree plantations which will densify this barrier and enhance it.
The building has “breathing-room”, fresh air surrounding it, ensuring a connection with nature and fresh positive surroundings, allowing for the best conditions for a healthy recovery for the patients within.
All roof platforms are covered with green terraces, which capture rainwater, and dissipate it slowly, in order to not overwhelm the rain-sewage systems, and also helping with temperature control and irrigation of green terraces and outside landscaped areas.
Controlled light through a shading facade system helps with temperature regulation, and direct sunlight control, ensuring a more energy efficient cooling and heating system.
Ventilation and cooling of the building is done by using technical floors which use natural flow of air, and cool the interior air without bringing in pollen or other uncontrolled bacteria. All ventilation inside the building is controlled through powerful ventilation and filter systems.
Interior courtyards are used both for easy access for patients, in controlled outside spaces, for bringing light inside the buildings, ensuring psychological comfort, and for natural ventilation.
Energy consumption is complemented by alternative energy systems like roof solar panels and photovoltaic panels, which store energy in storage batteries to be used when necessary,
PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT
The urbanistic development on the site is thought-of in 4 different phases, based on necessities, and site development.
PHASE 1 - the most important part, represented by the construction of the hospital and it’s surrounding park, in order have a functional building as soon as possible
PHASE 2 - Building of the doctors residential area, in order to ensure the most optimal work environment, and all conditions for the medical staff to perform. The residential area is created as a connection with the existing residential area, complementing existing urban functions.
PHASE 3 - Building of a school which can serve nearby residents, doctors and staff, will ensure an easier life for hospital staff and better quality of life for nearby residential areas.
PHASE 4 - expansion phase, the hospital has room for future expansion if necessary. The area needed will function as a park until that moment comes.
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
The brief generates a considerably generous institution, which needs to be sustainable from an economical point of view, in order to function properly in the future. Form the design perspective our team has ensured low costs through energy efficiency, sustainable and alternative energy sources and easily manageable control of the environment
The staff of about 1000 people needs to have in its midst the possibility for generating interest and attractiveness for the general public, by sharing their knowledge through activities like, paid physical therapy courses, massage, well being, nutrition, diet, conference room, classes both for the public and for specialists. The park can be used as an outside physical therapy area or exercise classes which can also generate income. Activities like treasure hunts, spectacles, theater shows, and leisure activities like sport for the more apt patients or for the general public can also generate sustainable income for the hospital.
All these activities need to be a constant in the life of the institution and hospital management needs to be very diligent in the necessity of organizing activity programs.
MAIN ACCESS
The main acces is the most important interactive piece in the buildings functionality, revolving around bringing together natural and man-made space, Public access is encouraged on this level, and distributed by services needed, through the reception desk and ER unit. The main floor is both hospital and park, private and public, it functions both as a filter between spaces and as a green breathing plaza for the building.
FUNCTIONALITY
The proposal responds to the project brief by positioning public medical spaces and emergency rooms on the ground floor, where the park-hospital connection and the patient hospital connection is closest.
All technical and supply accesses are positioned at the semi-underground level, through an interior courtyard, on the northern elevation of the hospital.
The entire first floor is organized as a platform which unites all four hospital modules, as a common shared space, in order to give quick and easy access to important spaces, like the ICU unit, the operation rooms, hospital pharmacy, burnt unit , imaging unit and sterilization area.
On the first floor you can also find the balneology section which has direct access to the outside from the administrative and research building. The balenology section is tightly connected to the recovery unit, which in turn is equipped with accommodations for patients that need to be admitted.
The ground floor also houses more leisurely activities like a bistro, cafe, library pharmacy and commercial space and educational spaces like an after school.
The upper floors are destined to specialized medical units requested through the hospital brief. The specialized units all have a similar functional and modular organization.
As general rules the admission wards are located on the perimeter of the buildings, storage common areas and technical spaces are central to the plan surrounded by 2,4 m wide corridors.
This organization of the space allows for the redistribution of units / admission wards, containment of special sanitation areas within units etc.
Emergency helicopter acces is directly connected to the emergency room, from which point patients are distributed according to their needs.
SOCIAL CONCEPT and HEALING ARCHITECTURE
The children's social environment being at its most important in childhood, is the drive behind the functionality of the space.
Hospital functionality is built around the patients comfort, ensuring easy connections with parks and garden spaces, for exercise and movement, and where this is not possible, views towards nature. All patients have access to natural spaces, to encourage healing and exercise, and for the therapeutic benefits, either in the park surrounding the hospital, in the interior gardens, on the green terraces or on the semi-public park platforms at ground level.
The interior spaces provide alcoves for family socialising, and for patients to interact with each-other, helping them forget as much as possible about the unpleasant experience.
Small elements like, mobile furniture, sculptural animals, waiting rooms with playrooms, and family spaces ensure a warmth that is much needed during difficult experiences.
All design elements were taken into account and constructed around minimising stress factors, loud noises, complicated access, intimidating views of aggressive buildings, lack of warmth, lack of family presence, uncomfortable light or temperature, privacy,
POSITIVE DISTRACTIONS
The premise of the created spaces is to generate as many positive interaction spaces as possible. This implies combining socializing spaces, age appropriate play areas, common spaces for organized interactions, access and connection to the outdoors, and sculptural animals which create distractions throughout the space, at different scales.
PRIVACY
The level of privacy is controlled both at a pragmatic technical level of each hospital unit, and through architecture and design, gradually as you progress from the first two floors up. Access on the green terraces is provided in order for patients with movement difficulties to more easily come in contact with nature, also perforations in the green platform allow for visual access to the ground levels. Views towards the park are ensured from every accommodation unit, with complete privacy for the patients within.
Medical recovery outcomes are highly influenced by design. The sense of control (=privacy, way-finding, reducing physical barriers, providing choice and personalisation), social support (family supportive spaces), positive distractions (play) and sensorial dimensions (nature, light and colour, noise) are the main influencing factors.
The design principle is to provide, as much as possible, normal patterns of life through a homely environment, the technical aspects of the hospital experience being hidden from the daily pattern of the patient’s experience while admitted.
Openness to the city The hospital can also integrate non-medical related attractions to invite people from the outside and new customers. Green areas, shared by both hospital and the city function as an attractor. This facility could help in the patients’ healing process, increasing socialisation and the sense of belonging to society. The perception of the hospital as spaces of suffering is completely change throughout the design principles used.
