Dietger Wissounig Architekten

Description

The Josefhof Healthcare Facility in Graz, owned by an Austrian insurance company, is a centre of excellence for in-patient care, the promotion of health and disease prevention. Three narrow, elongated structures are set into the arena-like topography in such a way that the buildings sometimes appear to hover over, at others to be embedded into the terrain. Views of the surrounding landscape influenced the spatial concept for the building: the entrance area, dining rooms and bar offer views both towards the south and north. The structures below are staggered in such a way that the planted roofs are at parapet height of the level above. All 120 rooms have a clear view of the cultural landscape. In addition to the views, the seminar area and the busy primary care clinic also offer unobstructed ground level access to the natural evironment. The bathing and sauna area is located in the southern structure directly at the topographical base of the area with a clear view of the woodchip track and the pond area. All areas are barrier-free and quickly accessible. The load-bearing structure of the building has been reduced to an economical and highly cost-efficient way of building, which allows for a very high degree of prefabrication. The timber structure is situated above the floors built into the slope which are made of reinforced concrete. One of the architects’ key aims was to highlight the natural quality and visibility of the materials and the construction.