In the context of his Paimio Sanatorium project Finnish architect Alvar Aalto is reported as once saying, "The main purpose of the building is to function as a medical instrument". Among the ways Aalto expressed this position in Paimio was, for example, through the fact that illumination, wall colours, heating systems et al were designed not only for the patients comfort, but with the patients position in mind i.e. offering different conditions depending on if the patient was expected to be lying or sitting in a particular room.
For Aalto such considerations reflected his view on humanistic functionalism. And were at that time pretty revolutionary.
Some 80 years later such sentiments are much better understand and modern hospital, care home and sanatorium construction is, or at least always should be, geared towards helping the patients through thoughtful, well considered architecture.
In 2013 the "health sector" group in the German Architects Association, BDA, organised a competition looking for particularly good examples of contemporary health care architecture, and from Monday February 17th the five "winning" projects can be viewed in an exhibition in the Stuttgart architecture gallery wechselraum.
Presenting the three "Outstanding" designs - the Surgery & Dermatology Departments at the Universitätsklinikum Ulm by KSP Jürgen Engel Architechts Munich, the Centre for Psychatrie Friedrichshafen by huber staudt architects Berlin and the Marburg Particle Therapy Centre by Stuttgart architects hammeskrause - as well as the two "Highly Recommended" projects - KU 65 Children's Dental Surgery Berlin by GRAFT Architects, Berlin and the Child and Heart Centre at the Universität Innsbruck by Nickl + Partner Architechts Munich - the exhibition will present posters and models that promise to not only introduce and explain the constructions but much more the thinking behind the architecture.
For the vernissage a discussion evening has been organised which aims to explore in more detail key elements of health care building provision. Moderated by Susanne Glade the discussion features contributions from the Berlin architects Tobias Buschbeck and Karsten Gottwald in addition to Prof. Martin Härter from the Uni Klinikum Hamburg and Prof. Christian Knop from the Katharinenhospital Stuttgart.
Contemporary Architecture for the Health Care Sector runs at wechselraum, Zeppelin Carré, Friedrichstraße 5, 70174 Stuttgart from February 17th until April 11th 2014.
The vernissage begins on Monday February 17th at 7pm
Full details can be found at www.wechselraum.de
