Silvia Gmür Reto Gmür Architekten
New building Bürgerspital Solothurn
best architects 21
public buildings
Place
Solothurn, Switzerland
Studio
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.