Serena Del Mar Hospital
Serena Del Mar Hospital
Safdie Architects
LOCATION
Provincia de Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia
CATEGORY
Government + Health › Hostpial
A critical new resource for Cartagena, and the Caribbean region, Centro Hospitalario Serena del Mar is an advanced teaching hospital premised on the notion that access to nature and daylight is vital to creating improved experiences for patients, families, and staff.
Understanding that well-being promotes better clinical outcomes, the design is conceived of as a garden hospital, offering patients, staff, and families access to a diverse array of gardens, daylight, and nature throughout the building.
Inpatient facilities are housed in wings with shallow floor plates to maximize the spaces with direct proximity to daylight, and views. Even in areas where operational efficiency is paramount (emergency rooms, labs, and clinics), daylight and views to nature are maintained.
A linear bamboo courtyard creates separation and privacy between the inpatient wings and public outpatient services. Glass elevators, stairs, and public corridors are organized around the courtyard, providing a soothing visual constant for visitors to orient themselves, and navigate with through hospital.
Bamboo was specifically chosen for the quality of dappled light produced as daylight shines through, uplifting and enriching one’s experience. A small non-denominational chapel within the bamboo courtyard offers a private refuge for families and visitors.
The patient experience is paramount in the hospital’s design. Motorized sliding exterior shutters are controlled individually for each room, giving patients more autonomy over their environment.
Lighting is recessed and integrated within walls and ceilings for indirect illumination, contributing to a calm environment, that avoids glare for patients looking up at the ceiling in patient rooms and corridors.
The architectural character of the hospital is rooted in the traditional vernacular of the city, with projecting roofs designed to attract breezes through the project and provide protection from sun and rain.
The design encourages people to comfortably move between indoors and outdoors to experience the natural surroundings.
