HISTORIC HOSPITALS IN FINLAND WELL WORTH A VISIT PAIMIO SANATORIUM A timeless masterpiece of modern architecture designed for tuberculosis patients in 1933 by Alvar Aalto. Located 30 km from Turku. Guided tours available. KUOKKALA MANOR This Jyväskylä-based edifice was originally designed as a private residence by Wivi Lönn in 1904, but it functioned as a maternity hospital from the 1940s to 1960s. Open to the public, with a café and art exhibitions.
Hospitals are becoming a shared part of the cityscape, more like a common living room. Central Hospital of Kainuu in northern Finland, which is scheduled for completion in 2021. The complex is designed around a central hall that serves as a meeting point between the hospital and the outside world, fostering spontaneous interaction between different specialists. “This promotes the sharing of expertise and builds a cross-disciplinary team supporting the patient,” says Jukka Juvonen, a cardiologist involved in the Kainuu Hospital project. Kjisik mentions that spontaneous encounters between personnel have been shown to improve patient safety. In Kainuu, the hospital personnel have been deeply involved in the co-design process right from the start. They have been encouraged to rethink their work processes and define what they want from their future work environment. “They have walked through different options and made suggestions with the help of CAVE, an immersive virtual reality environment,” says architect Martin Boyadgian from Sweco Architects, one of the teams involved in designing the Central Hospital of Kainuu. SPACES TO STIMULATE Both Kjisik and Juvonen agree that the activation of patients is one of the most significant new goals of hospital architecture. 48 BLUE WINGS APRIL 2017
LASARETTI HOTEL This former municipal hospital completed in 1849 now serves as a hotel and a restaurant in Oulu. Highlights include an extensive collection of visual art, mainly by artists with Northern Finnish roots.
“Whereas traditional hospital wards encouraged patients to lie around in beds, now the goal is to get them on their feet, especially elderly patients. Rehabilitation begins from the moment the patient enters the hospital,” Juvonen explains. The wards at Kainuu Hospital are designed around “rehabilitation streets” – innovative, gallery-style spaces motivating patients to exercise and socialise. Another healing feature is the abundant presence of local wood, both as a building material and surrounding the hospital. Nature is integrated into the design with a rehabilitation garden and plenty of greenery next to the coffee shop. Parking is located further away from the building, and green space is maximised by reducing road traffic around the hospital to a minimum of emergency transports and drop-offs. Another new trend is that hospitals are becoming a shared part of the cityscape, more like a common living room than an isolated room only for patients. Kjisik offers the example of a rehabilitation hospital in Barcelona which has its own gym and a swimming pool with large windows opening up onto a city street. “In the future, hospitals will no longer be isolated as the exclusive domain of the sick and injured. They will become an inviting part of the surrounding city – so much so that people will want drop in for a cup of coffee just for the pleasure of it," says Kjisik. l