Project Description
This project is for a 1512 bed hospital located in an outer district of the city of Shanghai, China. Canals interlace the site and divide it into two plots of land, one which will contain the hospital and another which will contain a future research park and housing which will be connected to the hospital by a bridge. The concept of the hospital is to emphasize energy flow and connection with nature as part of Chinese tradition and the healing process. The diagnostic base of the hospital contains clinics and treatment facilities and is conceived as a green hill growing out of the canal which is sculpted at its edges to engage the hospital. Light wells are carved into this hill form to provide courtyards and introduce natural daylight in to the treatment areas for both staff and outpatients. Thin bars containing south facing hospital beds float above this green base, following appropriate solar orientation for Chinese tradition. By floating the beds above the base, a zone of continuous green is created for patient use while also inducing airflow for cross ventilation.