The architectural design of Guangming Campus of Shenzhen TCM Hospital is guided by two threads: rational analysis and resolution of complex planning technique problems, and representation of the architectural culture that combines TCM and Chinese culture.
The design faced three challenges in terms of planning technique:
1. Unfavorable site conditions: The site is traversed by a municipal road and a flood control channel, and suffers from traffic noise generated by Longda Expressway, which significantly affected the planning layout strategy;
2. Phased development: Different phases of the Hospital need to operate independently while being interconnected, posing challenge to the distribution of medical resources overall and to each phase;
3. Urban transportation: The Hospital, with its big size, makes it a critical task of hospital planning to achieve efficient traffic during peak hours and people-centered mobility.
In terms of planning strategy, we place the main campus buildings along the west and south sides of the site, away from the noisy expressway, and design a Chinese style garden in the east of the site in combination with the flood control channel and traffic system, turning the disadvantageous river channel and municipal road into advantages for hospital layout.
By combining hospital street and modular design, we create a changeful, flexible and growing functional system for the Hospital that enables easy integration of all future scalable functions with existing ones and the consequential birth of a new system.
We establish a people-oriented vertical transportation system on B1 below the inpatient street in the direction of the Hospital's main axis. Taxis, cars for ride hailing, and other temporary stay vehicles are introduced into the campus to serve emergency patients, outpatients, and inpatients. This not only avoids traffic congestion on arterial roads caused by roadside drop-offs, but also ensures an all-weather medical environment with shorter walking distance for patients.
In terms of architectural culture, how to convey the culture of TCM and traditional Chinese architecture through architectural design while reflecting the future prospects of TCM is the main starting point of our design. Our work showcases the cultural characteristics of novel TCM architecture based on systematic thinking from four aspects: planning layout, functional structure, spatial hierarchy, and facade design.