clinic
vaihingen
the medical clinic is located in one of the few tower buildings in stuttgart. it is a rarity to have views as far away as the swabian albs. this was a premier element, as was the importance of natural light for the clinic. these factors helped to create an atmosphere where patients would feel safe under sometimes difficult personal situations.
a surgery’s antiseptic setting with its highly specialized and technological advanced equipment is offset against uninterrupted views towards hilly landscapes, helping to make the patients feel safe, as it connects them back to nature. the decision to use oak flooring in non-surgical areas, was also used to balance the clinical and more comfortable; a reminder of home. the plan is efficient, using the tower’s circular layout to maximum advantage. following the everyday schedule of the practice, resulted in the arrangement of the rooms; starting from reception, waiting rooms, doctor’s consulting rooms with its adjoining smaller examination cabins, to endoscopic surgery, to recovery room and back to reception. patients move counterclockwise through a hallway comprised of an interior glass wall, louvres sandwiched between the glass. the louvres control views in and the amount of natural light in the corridor. when surgery and consulting rooms are not in use, natural light and spectacular views flow into the hall. the monodirectional flow helps orientate patients and allows them to quickly and easily find their way.
no space is taken for granted; every detail is considered to maximize spatial and user quality. a suspended ceiling made of perforated anodised aluminum cassettes, in the corridor area provides sound buffering. walls are comprised of cupboards, which house technical equipment and storage space. they are clad in anodized aluminium, whose brightly reflecting surface throw natural light far into the interior. the doctor’s practice reflects his maxim, ‘a clinical atmosphere does not mean antiseptic anonymity, but high quality spaces, natural light, and friendly surroundings that run tandem to professional medical expertise.’
