NATURAL STONE IN HEALTH BUILDINGS

Natural stone stands out as a valuable material in the architectural world in terms of both aesthetics and durability. Its use in healthcare structures draws attention with its compliance with hygiene standards, long-lasting structure and aesthetic contributions. Thanks to its easy-to-clean surfaces, durability and long life, stone offers an important advantage to health complexes. The aesthetic and practical use of natural stone in floor and wall coverings adds an important dimension to architectural designs in the field of healthcare. In terms of environmental sustainability, the use of stone offers a more environmentally friendly option than other synthetic materials preferred in healthcare buildings. We have compiled different healthcare complexes that use natural stone with the advantages it offers in terms of cleanliness, durability, hygiene, environmental sustainability, function and aesthetics.

SAMS CENTER FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE

Designed by Lacroix Chessex, SAMS takes an integrated approach to health and social services, accommodating elderly residents for a short period of time. Located in the Morgens hills in Switzerland, the new building, owned by the SILO Foundation, is designed as a complex that also offers a range of services for general practitioners. The architectural project aims to adapt to the landscape and respond to the needs of its elderly guests. The design consists of two main buildings, each organized around a courtyard. Timelessly designed and providing a hospitality service that goes far beyond conventional healthcare structures, the building utilizes wood, concrete and natural stone. Although the building seems to be architecturally designed with a certain archaism, it reevaluates themes from local heritage with a contemporary perspective. In addition to a sense of nostalgia, this approach firmly anchors the project in a wider temporality than the cultural context in which it was built.

Architectural Design: Lacroix Chessex

Project Date: 2020

Building Area: 2450 sqm

Location: Switzerland

Photography: Olivier di Giambattista

VILLENEUVE-SAINT GEORGES HOSPITAL

Designed by Michél Remon, the building has a reassuring profile, visible from Orly Airport, the Nationale 6 road and the Paris-Limoges Train Line. The hospital dominates an unusual suburban landscape, rising above Yerres and the banks of the Seine. Located on a sloping site, the hospital is a building of great architectural integrity with its base and superstructure. The texture of the entire hospital has been redefined after the addition of a new building for the women’s and pediatric department in addition to the existing structure. Looking at the building as a whole, a strong line is emphasized on the façade. While this line gives the building design integrity, it also serves as a reference for the entire building. The façade of the new addition, which forms the silhouette of the hospital, acts as a foreground that is separated like a giant curve, softening the existing façade character of the building. With the new building, the hospital’s image is reconstructed and geometrically redesigned. The hospital design emphasizes the use of stone, steel and concrete.

Architectural Design: Atelier d’architecture, Michél Remon

Project Date: 2012

Location: FrancePhotography: Mathieu Ducros

LUZ-SAÚDE VILA REAL HOSPITAL

The Hospital da Luz – Vila Real project by OPENBOOK Architecture aims to rehabilitate and adapt an existing building in the historic center of Vila Real into a hospital unit. The building is located in the Vila Real cathedral and Alto Duoro Vinhateiro conservation area. The building is also part of the intervention area governed by the detailed plan of the historic center of the region. The existing building has a very simple design in terms of volume and the elements that characterize the facade. A clear design has been drawn up for the reinforcement or valorization of the main parts, such as openings or balconies. All pre-existing parts of the side area of the building have been demolished and a new form has been designed, carefully crafting elevations and volumes suitable for the reuse of the existing building. In the new form, the openings that characterize the facades are clad in yellow granite. The stonework used in the building brings the building to a human scale and plays an innovative role in terms of the user’s experience of the hospital and its relationship with the urban space.

Architectural Design: OPENBOOK Architecture

Project Date: 2018

Building Area: 6800 sqm

Location: Portugal

Photography: José Camposü

BUTARO HOSPITAL

Butaro Hospital, designed by MASS Design Group, is located in Burera, the poorest district in Rwanda with poor health indicators compared to other districts. With no active functioning hospital in Burera, the building was approached as a necessity. MASS Design Group was called in by PIH (Ministry of Health and Partners in Health) to help plan and design a world-class facility to help turn these conditions around. The hospital’s design incorporated community employment, education and empowerment into a more holistic architectural model that governed the construction process.

Butaro Hospital includes many innovative features designed to minimize the risk of infection. The elimination of internal corridors and the installation of large radius fans and louvered windows have ensured air circulation, which is instrumental in reducing the risk of infection. The continuous use of an easy-to-clean, durable floor material makes the hospital highly resistant to infections.

Local artisans were employed for the most important part of the hospital, the masonry, and local methods were used in all phases of the project. To bring out the unique texture of the volcanic stone used in the hospital, less mortar was used, creating an almost seamless expanse of dark gray porous walls.

Architectural Design: MASS Design Group

Project Date: 2011

Building Area: 6040 sqm

Location: Rwanda

Photography: Iwan Baan

CHERRY HOSPITAL

Cherry Hospital by Perkins + Will is designed as a psychiatric clinic. Located in Northeast Carolina, it is a behavioral health facility with a nationwide reputation for safety and treatment. Perkins + Will approached the design of Cherry Hospital by emphasizing transitions between programmatic components through modulation of materials, scale, daylight, and spatial conditions. This approach results in a formal composition similar to local landmarks and textures that can be observed in the region. The use of steel, stone and concrete was a formal strategy and a way of becoming more rooted in the culture of the hospital’s inhabitants. The landscape of the health complex helps wayfinding within the building, providing a sense of place for patients and visitors. By providing environments that support the concepts of home, work and community, the aim is to accelerate the return of patients to their daily routine.

Architectural Design: Perkins + Will

Project Date: 2016

Building Area: 37439 sqm

Location: United States

Photography: Mark Herboth

FIMS AND NURSING BUILDING

The Faculty of Information and Media Studies and Nursing Building in Canada was designed by architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson. The academic building houses flexible teaching spaces, learning laboratories, clinical education and computer laboratories, study studios and science facilities, where learning and research are intensive.

The School of Nursing and the Health Sciences Building on the three-story south wing of the building are designed to be adjacent to each other. The private entrance to the School of Nursing is defined by a covered portico and is positioned to connect with the adjacent building. The width of the wing creates a mass rhythm consistent with the scale of the campus along the streetscape. The health academy, which is a combination of stone and glass, is a very interesting building for the region in which it was built with its geometric and massive form.

Architectural Design: ATRR (architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson)

Project Date: 2016

Building Area: 12.635 sqm

Location: Canada

Photography: Lisa Logan, Scott Webb, Jessica Ginzel

SORA NO MORI HEALTHCARE CENTER

“Sora no Mori”, designed by Tezuka Architect in Japan, is a medical facility staffed by accomplished medical personnel. As the project is an attempt to revitalize the disappearing forest in the area and create an environment for living in touch with nature, the building features deep canopies and wide corridors where nature can be seen from the interior. The medical pavilion is located at the end of the road, designed in Okinawa’s limestone. The examination room is designed as a large living space for patients to receive consultations.

At Sora no Mori, different types of wood are carefully selected for the interior and exterior cladding to achieve a natural texture. The windowless section at the center of the design references the foundations of Shuri Castle, surrounded by limestone. Sora no Mori is described as a “nostalgic future” that incorporates cutting-edge technology while learning from the past.

Architectural Design: Tezuka Architects

Project Date: 2014

Building Area: 2996 sqm

Location: Japan

Photography: Katsuhisa Kida, FOTOTECA

VIVEDA WELLNESS RETREAT

Designed by A for Architecture, the Viveda Health and Regeneration Center is set amidst a mosaic of mountain ranges, rivers, farmland, forests and grasslands. The first aim of the project was to design spaces that respond to the climate, especially in a region with hot and dry summers and monsoon winters. Allowing maximum natural light and ventilation, the spaces are designed to create shade with walls in summer. The building aims to understand and combine the various building practices of the region and the surrounding settlements. The project was designed with three materials: basalt stone, timber frame and tiled roof. As the building is located far from the city center, the team collaborated with artisans experienced in working with local materials. The use of concrete and steel was kept to a minimum, instead the preferred natural materials were sourced locally, thus minimizing energy consumption. The basalt stone, which is abundant in the region, was chiseled by stonemasons and applied to the building. The design of the majority of the project in basalt stone gives the building a monolithic character. The monolithic character of the buildings helps to frame a continuous contrast between the landscape, the sky and the spaces.

Architectural Design: A for Architecture

Project Date: 2019

Building Area: 3900 sqm

Location: India

Photography: Hemant Patil

HEALTH MUNICIPAL CLINIC

The Municipal Health Clinic, designed by Studiolada, is located in an irregular environment between a residential area built in the 1980s. The design goal was to make the most of natural sunlight and to provide privacy on the facades directly facing the pedestrian circulation outside the building. Natural materials were prioritized in the design. While wood cladding completely wraps the exterior, stone provides a reassuring serenity in the interior spaces in accordance with the function of the building. Designed according to bioclimatic architectural principles, the roof and facades directly catch the sun rays coming from the south, thus making the best use of natural heat and sunlight. To prevent the risk of overheating in the summer months, the facade is protected by glass strips that block high solar radiation but are protected by cladding that allows winter rays to penetrate. The design of the building takes advantage of the natural materials while pursuing sustainability concerns.