Our proposal for the Yishun Community Hospital, Singapore, and the associated GERI (Geriatrics) facility is a vision of holistic planning, integrated landscapes, and overall harmony, all combined in a health facility. The design objective was to design a holistic building in harmony with its immediate surrounding environment, whilst still demarcating clear identities for both the Community Hospital and GERI facility. The final proposal was shortlisted as a part of a competition entry in 2012 under studio505.

Location

Status

Client

Architect

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(Massing)
Massing separation is achieved by placing the respective main entrances on different roads: Yishun Central and Yishun Central 2. The integration into a coherent assembly of buildings is achieved through the design of soft transitions using cross-boundary landscape spaces to blur the lines as shown below. The macro building forms can thus be best visualised by imagining the green open spaces driving the massing instead of the enclosed buildings.
(Garden Terraces)
A large open garden and roof garden void between GERI at the site’s southern boundary and the community hospital ward block to the North showcases stepping gardens, terraces, planters and water features that descend from GERI down into the Community Hospital’s main entrance lobby and further into Levels B1 and B2.
(Street Level Treatment)
At street level the CH entrance lobby flows into a continuous public forum with the reception desk at its centre. From here, all-important Level 1 programme functions can be easily seen and accessed: Drop off, registration and admission, central ward atrium, inpatient visitor lifts, multi-function hall, outpatient valley lobby with clinics and day rehab + secondary entrance to GERI lobby, café and meeting points.
(Journey)
Imagine arriving at the CH entrance from the MRT during the afternoon in heavy rain: Once you walk through the open western planter wall and arrive in the large sheltered atrium, your view swings to the right, climbing up the outdoor tropical terraced gardens and planters to the south being nourished by rain, while you stay completely dry!
A true indoor/outdoor experience that manifests itself in the large Rehab Garden on Level 2, which is located outdoors yet mostly sheltered from direct rain by the overhanging Southern Ward Wing above.
(Salutogenesis)
This exemplary layout will guide patients, visitors and staff with fluency through the overall Level 1 space without relying on complicated wayfinding systems. In all locations green landscaping descends into the space as much as it appears to grow out of it, providing shelter from rain without its outdoor nature being diminished.
(Views)
Careful consideration has not only been given to ‘views out’ from the new Community Hospital and GERI, but also to ‘views in’ from the existing KTPH private ward building. We ensured that views from KTPH towards CH Yishun are filled with the green terraced gardens between GERI and CH as well as the CH ward façade planters.
(Competition Panels)
We have designed and proposed a very simple building and yet a complex and rich operational potential. Our vision is to bring the intelligence of ecosystems and the beauty, peacefulness and inspiration of forests into the heart of the healing space.

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Scenic Botanica

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Grandstand Apartments

Yishun Community Hospital