Completed in 2009 by Foster+Partners, Circle Bath Hospital is one of a number of hospitals throughout the UK that place patients at the center of a new approach to healthcare. It is a part of a privately funded initiative and also the first among these centers. There is also an emphasis on natural light and views throughout the hospital to bring a brighter atmosphere.
Background
There is a lot of evidence that a well-designed hospital environment can contribute to better outcomes for patients and also improve recovery times. It also provides a more enjoyable workplace for medical staff. In this hospital, people will be treated irrespective of whether they are paid through the National Health Service or by private insurance.
Design
The goal of this project to create a hospital as a humane and a civilized place for all. Everyone is regarded as a ‘partner’ in the delivery of health care, including a surgeon, nurse, and porter, to promote patient well-being. This hospital provides recovery spaces, treatment, consultation, bedrooms, and operating theaters with in-patient and out-patient care.
There are twenty-eight beds that relatively small in scale with an intimate atmosphere to avoid the sense of disorientation often experienced in larger hospitals. There are no many divisions between departments, so the stress involved in consultation and treatment for patients can be eased and the walking distances for staff also can be reduced. The café, nurses’ station, and reception point can be found in a double-height atrium.
Structure
The building of this hospital has a physical profile that kept low and it is dug into its hillside site with a public entry. This entry is arranged at a higher level while service access is on the floor below. There is also an emphasis on natural light and views: recovery spaces are fully glazed on the lower level, same as the operating theaters that look out across a quiet private garden.
Balconies line the building’s southern and northern edges which are also oriented to maximize the stunning views. Sympathetic landscaping of this hospital building can emphasize the therapeutic natural environment as a different approach from more familiar, institutional hospital surroundings.
Circle Bath Hospital Gallery
Photography: Foster+Partners