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In recent years, Spanish practice Entresitio has tackled the architectural issues posed by building for social services, healthcare and diagnostics provision. Its architects have developed a deep understanding of the complex layout requirements of healthcare constructions: the key nodes and communication circuits, and the need to avoid inappropriate intersections and overlapping to ensure maximum rationality for patients and practitioners.
The two-storey diagnostic and therapeutic centre, CEDT, in Daimiel in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region is organised according to a logical breakdown of the functions carried on inside. The easy-to-access ground floor houses the public reception area, emergency ward and general medicine bay, with doctors’ surgeries and diagnostics stations. The upper floor is reserved for specialist medicine: operating theatres (on the north side of the building), intensive care wards, doctors’ surgeries, a conference room, medical personnel rest room, services and equipment rooms. The polygonal plan is sectioned by distribution corridors that branch off at right angles to diagnostics and general medicine areas, ensuring secluded environments for more serious specialist treatment. The layout is characterised by five rectangular inner courts lying parallel to each other. Essential as a means of bringing light and ventilation into the building, the courts have wide glazed lights and external cladding in corrugated sheet steel panels, placed so as to create an alternating pattern of horizontal and vertical grooves to break up the reverberation of the light. The doctors’ surgeries look out over the courts, as do the central connection corridors and public waiting areas.
The materials, colours and finishes give a physical sense of the precision and cleanliness befitting a hospital setting. The clean geometry is echoed in the stark wall cladding; the shades of white are enhanced by light streaming in from the inner courts.
Likewise the...
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