Schulz und Schulz

Description

In our competition entry for the expansion of the socio-psychiatric psychotherapeutic treatment centre, we deliberately deviated from the hospital’s specifications and preliminary planning framework in order to develop a solution of greater urbanistic and heritage-sensitive quality. The brief called for the renovation of three vacant, heritage-listed buildings for clinical use, their efficient interconnection to ensure operational viability, and the creation of two new inpatient wards there to augment the existing facility. A feasibility study provided by the client proposed inserting a three-storey, functionally driven new structure as a dominant central volume between the historic buildings, linking them via elevated bridges. In contrast, and with the intent of preserving the architectural presence of the historic structures, we opted for a 175-metre-long, low-profile linear volume running parallel to the existing buildings. The corridor side of this new wing shifts incrementally, allowing for direct, integrated connections to the heritage fabric.