Architecture, nature and healing
June 2010 — Yonsei University Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, is one of the largest and most technologically advanced hospitals in eastern Asia. It is the site of Korea's first muscle cell bank, first frozen blood bank, first successful living donor liver transplant and first successful double-lung transplant.
The new Severance Hospital opened in 2005, the newest incarnation of a hospital that dates back to 1885. Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company, and Seoul-based Junglim Architects won an international design competition to provide the masterplanning, medical planning and design of the building's core and shell. Later, Ellerbe Becket and another Korean firm, Kesson International, were awarded the project's interior design and fit-out. The new hospital comprises 21 above-ground floors, 1,000 beds and a floor space area of 168,000 square meters.
The U.S.-based design team found its inspiration in a two-week immersive experience during which they learned about Korean culture and medicine. Each day, they noted the large number of people hiking up the pathways in the parkland behind the campus to commune with nature — even despite inclement weather conditions. It became essential to integrate many important natural elements into the design: the mountain, natural light, water, vegetation, and wind.
The project's biggest challenge was fitting such a large building into the allotted site. In Korean culture it is important not to block views and connections; this needed to be respected in the design process. By splitting the hospital's two primary components with a four-story grand stair punctuated with gardens, mountain views and water features, designers not only preserved the connection, they also created a journey from the campus through the hospital atrium to the mountain.
Designers paid a great deal of attention to the quality of natural light in the interior environment. In the atrium, skylights project sunlight from the sixth floor roof all the way to the basement, creating an uplifting, life-affirming affect. On patient floors, natural light infuses into waiting areas and beyond, bringing daylight to the nurse stations. Expansive windows also provide a healing view to the outside world. Depending on the location, a patient can view the bustling university campus, the awe-inspiring mountains, a nearby tranquil forest, or the Hahn River from his or her bed. The Sky Garden is designed for quiet contemplation, a bamboo "forest" in the lower level of the atrium brings the outdoors in, and intimate seating areas on the main level are cocooned by gently falling water and plantings.
The interior design sought to express an international modernity while subtly referencing Korean culture. For instance, in traditional Korean buildings, the roofline is curved upward at each end. The wood canopies over the information desks were designed to evoke this form. Translucent elevators are reminiscent of the screens used to divide rooms and soften lantern light.
To help overcome the language barrier, the design team employed an extensive use of visual imagery. Beginning with Ellerbe Becket's trademarked process of Visual Listening™, a series of images of a variety of building interiors, colors and details were used in place of language or two-dimensional drawings to solicit input from the hospital on what they considered appropriate design for the Korean culture. Later, during the design phases, the team employed illustrative 3-D renderings to convey design ideas, assuring the hospital's full understanding and aiding in the approval process.
Technology in the Severance Hospital is "ubiquitous" — employing a paperless system where everything within the hospital is electronically linked—digital treatment, mobile treatment and one-stop services. The facility, building systems and staff are armed with the latest IT technology, and all rooms have Internet access. The emphasis is on patient convenience. A single Smart card, signifying Severance Medical Information Archiving and Retrieving Technology, allows a patient to schedule and confirm appointments, pay for treatment, prescriptions, food or parking, find a parking spot and, if necessary, even help locate where a car is parked. All appointments can be made by phone or Internet and all medical records are maintained via an electronic patient record system, so that attending physicians and nursing staff can manage their patients 24 hours a day.
After completion of the Severance Hospital, Ellerbe Becket maintained a relationship with the Yonsei planning team, and was consequently invited in 2009 to participate with BAUM Architects for the Yongin Dongbaek Hospital competition, which the firm won. The Yongin Dongbaek Hospital is the next hospital in the system, serving residents located in the southeastern suburbs of Seoul. With the hospital occupying a more rural and hilly site, Ellerbe Becket has designed this structure to nestle into the landscape, further extending the connection between nature, architecture and healing. The Yongin Dongbaek Hospital is scheduled for completion in 2014.
Faye LeDoux