REVITALISING HOSPITALS INTO CIVIC SPACES: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL �S REMODELLING WORKS

Abstract

Hospitals are important buildings which has a high volume of human traffic in a public space where many day-to-day actions need to be performed efficiently and swiftly. Since the early developments, Hospitals planners have focused on increasing the use and efficiency of processes within the building. This has led to the creation of many department-oriented designs that are highly utilitarian but lack considerations on the building users’ wellbeing. Today, hospital designs attempt to infer from other building types such as airports and offices in an attempt to infuse a new paradigm and planning strategy for hospital spaces. Hospitals in Singapore continue to do multiple Addition and Alteration works or new building extensions to meet with the increasing population demands. The National University Hospital of Singapore (NUH) is the first example of this. Until recently, the spatial and navigational aspects of NUH has been confusing to the new visitors. The addition of retail restaurants in to hospitals adds to its complexity and multi-functional usage. For a hospital to function well, it is important to understand the factors and intents involved in hospital developments and in order to increase the wellbeing of the healthcare workers, patients and visitors to the hospital.NUH has experienced changes to its facilities in recent times; the newly constructed Kent Ridge Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station and the new construction of the Medical Centre block has changed the needs and usage of the original hospital block. This major change has created the opportunity to transform the space into something more civic oriented and humanitarian to meet the higher expectations of the new generation. The paper attempts to evaluate the feasibility and key factors involved in mixed use hospital planning through the analysis of the current National University Hospital of Singapore’s main building remodeling. By identifying key elements that were preserved and the changes that wereimplemented, the effectiveness of the new design could be evaluated and a guideline for remodeling hospitals could be derived. Literature reviews concerning the changing paradigm in healthcare architecture would be consulted to identify trends and key factors integral in meeting the needs of hospital users today. Following that, a visual and a written survey was conducted to note the hospital users’ opinions and impression of the changes. An interview was also conducted with the architectural firm responsible for the remodeling works to understand the considerations and intricacies of the project. The paper will then evaluate the effectiveness of the change by cross referencing and examining the sources.