The "initiative", and the design by RPBW, has a current budget of about €733 million. The hospital in Thessaloniki will be the largest of the three hospitals and will be a dedicated children's hospital. In the end, all of them will be a reference model for future modern hospitals anywhere.
"All three projects have in common both an approach which is centred on people and steady attention towards the natural environment within which they become integrated, thanks to a careful utilization of renewable energy resources and of the principles of energetic and social sustainability. The employment of light and of natural ventilation find their application as mainstream principles both in public spaces and in patients' rooms. The basic idea in the three projects is, to give shape to facilities, which are totally immersed in nature, in order to foster a quiet, relaxing environment for patients and their relatives, but also for doctors, nurses and all staff. Nature has in fact a "therapeutic" role in every patient's rehabilitation process, as in the ancient Asklepeion."
RPBW
The two-winged modular designs (a similar topology was Emergency Children's Surgery Center, in Uganda) are defined by an emphasis on natural light, to help reduce the stay and recovery times. The design has a flexible ground-level floor plan and specially allotted space for patients' families.
SNF General Hospital of Komotini. Rendering courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
SNF General Hospital of Sparta. Rendering courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
Natural light is abundant in the public and clinical areas of the hospitals, from the lobbies and education spaces to inpatient rooms, clinical corridors as well as operating rooms and intensive care facilities.
Through transparent surfaces and vertical openings, all three hospitals establish a strong connection with the surrounding landscapes, fostering a soothing environment and reinforcing a sense of orientation for patients and their families, as well as all hospital staff.
Nature plays a central and therapeutic role in these hospitals, as it has done since the ancient Asklepieia. Parks, gardens, playgrounds and patios form an integral part of the hospital design with open areas for patients and the public, interactive spaces for children, beautiful paths under the tree canopies and internal courtyards. In healing gardens, patients will walk, hear, see, smell and touch the trees, bushes and flowers which will aid their rehabilitation process and well-being.
Following the rigorous environmental principles applied in each of the new hospitals being developed under the SNF Health Initiative, will pursue a LEED Platinum rating and run on 100% renewables. Each structure will be constructed using timber facades while including a host of rooftop photovoltaic panels and geothermal systems to power their 24/7 operation. RPBW's contributions will be followed by a pair of new hospitals in Athens to be developed along similar lines.
