Landscape Hospital

The landscape hospital is a proposal for the redevelopment of an existing hospital site in Vilnius, Lithuania. The landscape hospital radically breaks with the problematic experience of a hospital as a labyrinthine building. A building dominated by long and never ending corridors, disconnected from the outside world. The landscape hospital swaps the inside out. All patients have a private room with their own front door along the outer facade connected to the terraced gardens of the hospital. The classical experience of a hospital visit will be replaced by a walk through a park like environment to your relative’s private room entering by simply ringing the patient’s doorbell.

On the very inside, in the heart of the building the operation rooms are strategically located. Two big patios bring sight and daylight into the operation rooms as an asset for doctors performing long-hour operations. In rings around the patio’s less emergent cure like diagnostic rooms are organised.

With the technical cure of the patient in the heart of the building and the care of the patient organised along the outer facade of the building, logical efficiency is combined with a healing environment. Greenery and independence are highly conducive to the patient’s feeling of well being and aid in the healing process. The room’s entrances are designed as small private greenhouses in order to control the climate of the individual rooms. Sun warmth heathens the room in winter while in summer the greenhouse will be naturally ventilated controlling the temperature of the room in a comfortable way. The patient can control light and sight by remote controlled curtains, sliding walls can double the room for guests rooming-in and the folding facade is designed in such a way that it is easy and inviting to step or, on device, be rolled outside. Public health-oriented program like a swimming pool, fitness, meditation room and a restaurant are located in the big cavities formed by the building. Two public axes connect this public program with the neighbourhood and the existing neo-classical building hospital building. The old building accommodates a community centre, a day nursery, senior club, care homes and primary health care facilities, such as GPs and dentists.