Silvia Gmür Reto Gmür Architekten: New building Bürgerspital Solothurn - best architects 21

Silvia Gmür Reto Gmür Architekten

New building Bürgerspital Solothurn

best architects 21

public buildings

Place

Solothurn, Switzerland

Photos

Reto Gmür

Description

The project for a new hospital aims to erect a new building with 154 patient rooms, operating departments and provision for obstetrics, intensive care and emergencies, as well as a day treatment centre on the site of the current hospital. An L-shaped building will extend the existing structure of the hospital which will continue to be used during the construction phase. Once the new building is completed, the old structures will gradually be replaced with a new park that will be created in the centre of the complex. The new buildings consists of a two-storey plinth, which houses the examination and treatment rooms, and a superimposed structure containing the wards for the patients. Each section is defined by its individual typology, although the basic structure creates a continuous unit. The typology of the plinth is linear and extendable; one of the project’s focal points is flexibility. The main access routes are clearly separated from functional areas and run along the northern and southern façade. All corridors receive natural light. The structure rising from the plinth, which contains the areas with patient rooms, is made up of concentric units. The zones devoted to the private wards focus on meeeting the requirement for privacy and a sense of community. The two-bed rooms offer each of the patients separate space and an open view of the surroundings. The sun protection elements integrated into the façade filter the light and create the transitional area between the private and the public sphere. The relationship between space, light and structure is a design element that is central to this project.