Hôpital Riviera-Chablais

Cor Wagenaar, Noor Mens

Description

The location of Hôpital Riviera-Chablais near a small village at the border of two Swiss administrative regions (‘cantons’), Vaud and Valais, was a consequence of a merger between two regional hospitals, which will concentrate the medical facilities now dispersed over five sites. In a rural area, this was seen as the only option for delivering high-quality care. Since most patients as well as the staff are expected to arrive by car, the proximity to main traffic arteries was vital. In 2011, Groupe-6 and GD architectes won the design competition for the new facility. The layout of the hospital appears to reinvent the comb-like structures that were first introduced in the 1960s (notably in the famous Hvidovre Hospital near Copenhagen) and became popular in the 1970s. These low-rise structures lacked the awe-inspiring, overwhelming quality of the slabs and towers typical for the 1950s and 1960s. Instead, they emulated the interaction between public spaces and parceling structure of historical, organically grown cities, one of the advantages being a high degree of flexibility. Flexibility guided the decision for choosing a similar layout here, although the site lacks the urban characteristics structuralist buildings are often associated with. The hospital’s modest height of only three levels enables a seamless transition with its surroundings. The architects, Denis Bouvier from Groupe-6, based in France, and Laurent Geninasca from Swiss GD architects, designed an introverted structure with a central spine. Instead of a basement with technical facilities, the services are placed on the roof, hidden from view by the same dark mineral stone cladding that distinguishes the top floor with the wards. Two helipads are also located on the roof. The inpatient areas are designed as four rectangular blocks, each with a spacious patio, on either side of the central spine; the spaces in between are endowed with roof gardens that enhance the pavilion-like characteristics of the wards. Many of these are pierced by lightwells that bring daylight to the floors below. The patient rooms offer a sublime view on the Alpine surroundings. The two floors below accommodate the medical functions; a striking feature is the glass curtain wall that floods the interior of these departments with daylight, including the glazed peripheral corridors used by patients and visitors. A ramp gives access to the emergency department on the first floor and the acute care services. Outpatient departments and facilities that require constant restocking are situated on the ground floor. The hospital is remarkably compact and will be relatively easy to expand.