Jurong General Hospital
The Jurong General Hospital is a combined 700-bed regional hospital and a 200-bed community hospital in the Jurong Lake District of Singapore. The proposed design creates an iconic identity for the Hospital that is both immediately recognizable and in harmony with the spirit of the park-like district. Both the general and community hospital buildings are integrated visually and physically to the landscape, creating a healing oasis for the patients and community.
In the design of the hospital and its gardens, the two aspects were envisioned as being inseparable from each other, to speak to the integration of science and nature in a healthy lifestyle, as well as a strong commitment to sustainable design. The proposed solution reinterprets the standard organization of stacking bed towers above impermeable treatment platforms by integrating interior and exterior spaces in a way that increases the sense of community, humanism, and a respect for the natural environment.
By minimizing the building footprint, the design maximizes the green space available on the site. Within this garden landscape, elongated white forms rise to form the primary hospital facilities. Perforated throughout each structure are pocket parks and courtyards providing plants, fresh air and natural daylight. These gardens are in contrast to the structural rationality of the buildings modern forms, but also act to unite the buildings with their site.
Sited apart from the primary structures, an organic tower rises out of the landscape. This sculptural form holds the administrative functions of the hospital campus. The ribs of the tower undulate upwards, evoking a sense of movement and energy enmeshed with the surrounding plant life. The administration towers unique shape will become an iconic form to represent the campus and distinctly brand the Jurong General Hospital.
The public garden spaces throughout the campus provide extensive community accessibility. Central to the idea of a healing sanctuary patients also have access to private gardens to facilitate rehabilitation, relaxation and contemplation, recreation, and education for pediatric patients and herb therapy. Other green spaces act as courtyards or sunken gardens and are located in conjunction with public and waiting areas to draw natural light into the surrounding functional spaces.
With a goal of LEED Platinum/Green Mark Platinum Ratings, the Jurong General Hospital project thoughtfully incorporates sustainable design techniques through its architecture, interior design, and engineering and takes into consideration the long-term environmental, economic, and social impacts of environmental stewardship.