Herzog & de Meuron

Healing today is regarded as a holistic process to which a hospital’s architecture can make an important contribution. Herzog & de Meuron have created concepts that differ clearly from the huge and at times even intimidating hospital complexes of the 1960s to 1980s. Starting with REHAB Basel in 2002, and including larger hospitals in Zurich and Hillerød, Denmark, that are both currently under construction, we have developed a horizontal hospital type which addresses the human scale.

The hospital is conceived as a city­ in itself – a network of streets and squares provide short connections and informal gathering places, planted courtyards provide daylight and orientation. Modular structures combine efficiency with flexibility. A finely tuned spatial flow offers patients, visitors and staff varying degrees of privacy. Wherever possible, natural and sustainable materials such as wood are used to create an atmosphere of warmth. Our latest hospital projects on long-established clinic sites such as the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center in San Francisco and the Universitätsspital in Basel, show how the healing environment can also take shape in vertical buildings. One of the central tasks is to integrate these large buildings into their urban environment; another is to design their masterplans in a way that accommodates the long-term development of these hospital complexes. Irrespective of the specific form, Herzog & de Meuron extend the concept of the hospital as a purely medical tool to include comfort and livability, creating a place of holistic healing.

Hospitals Focus

A collection of materials from completed and ongoing hospital projects.

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