Project Thesis – Fall 2024

The Medical Complex, a collective thesis project undertaken by twelve international students, examines the spatial consequences of contemporary approaches to health and well-being. The concepts of comprehensive wellness and its integration inform the adaptation and redesign of healthcare architecture, including aspects concerning prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

A proposed master plan for the Édouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon

The project focuses on the existing Édouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon chosen for its rich architectural heritage, strategic position in the city's dense urban fabric, and its immediate accessibility to Lyon's citizens. This historic hospital, designed by Tony Garnier, has undergone continuous evolution to meet changing healthcare needs.

The Medical Complex reimagines Garnier’s pavilion-style hospital design, preserving its distinctive scale and character while adapting to current healthcare needs. Unlike the original layout, which isolated medical department in separated pavilions, the new master plan consolidates critical functions for enhanced efficiency. This approach maintains the architectural essence of the pavilion style while optimizing workflow to align with contemporary healthcare practice.

Systems and Schemes
Eleven integrated systems or schemes are central to the project’s master plan design, collectively shaping the overall layout across its various facilities.

Traffic Systems
Branding, Wayfinding, and Navigation
Structural Guidelines
Interior Circulation
Healthcare Furniture
Waiting Areas and Bathrooms
Outdoor Spaces
Staff Areas
Inpatient Accommodation
Disinfection and Sterilization Scheme
Food System

Outdoor spaces provide an environment where both patients and non-patients can reconnect with nature for healthier, more active lives, while emphasizing the original purpose of th pavilion design through layered landscapes that enhance immunity and long-term health by offering both immunological safety and exposure to natural elements.

The disinfection and sterilization scheme supports the facility’s essential medical operations by separating different zones of infection risks and effectively managing the flow of soiled and clean supplies, providing a safe environment for staff, patients, and visitors.

The indoor and outdoor waiting areas and the bathrooms, always in proximity, offer opportunities for privacy in public, providing a serene refuge amidst the hustle of the complex where it is acceptable to do nothing, consume nothing, and simply exist. Staff areas support the well-being of healthcare providers, enabling them to sustainably deliver quality cure and care by offering spaces to alleviate concerns before their shifts, acknowledge personal experiences while on duty, and unwind at the end of their workday.

The project’s healthcare furniture plays a crucial role in minimizing the risk of healthcare-associated infections. It is a flexible mobile system designed for efficiency across diverse environments, creating an experience that balances comfort, prevention, and enjoyment through the mobility of the furniture and the patient's immobility.

Proposed Interior Circulation, Sterilization, and Healthcare Furniture Schemes, -1 Floor

Proposed Interior Circulation, Sterilization, and Healthcare Furniture Schemes, -2 Floor

Key space of every department

The significance of the complex can be understood through its twelve individual contributions, each consisting of the design of a specific department or center, along with the design of systems or schemes that integrated throughout the entire facility. These interconnected elements ensure that The Medical Complex is not only a center for health, but also a holistic environment promoting innovation, inclusivity, and comprehensive care.

Key diagrams

Telemedicine and Administration
Sara Gohberg

Sexual Health and Education Center
Efi Chatzikonstantinou

Outpatient Department
Nathalia Kuipers

Morgue
Andrea Ramos

Biomedical Research Center
Lefkothea Spartioti

Imaging and Transhuman Center
Mohil Bhavsar

Animal-integrated Rehabilitation Center
Misha Frantsuzov

Surgical Center
Ximeng Luo

Sport Facilities
Ivanna Gressani

Geriatric Center
Carlos von Bertrab

Emergency Department
Yi-an Tseng

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department
Evan Craig

Twelve anatomical models for The Medical Complex

The twelve “anatomical models” on display show, on the one hand, the specificity of each of the departments that comprise The Medical Complex and, on the other hand, the urban strategies—common to all of them—that define the master plan. Each model depicts a fragment to reveal the systems or schemes that complete the project’s layout integrated across all twelve departments or centers. Their color-coding draws parallels between the human body and the buildings, elucidating aspects inspired by the complexity and didactic approach of anatomical structures. Analogous to anatomical models in medicine and painted in glossy colors, these models form an anatomy of the complex through zoom-in analyses of old and new constructions, interior and exterior spaces, structure, and various services systems.

Anatomical models, 1:25
Photography by Max Hart Nibbrig

Telemedicine and Administration, Sara GohbergThis fragment shows the Telemedicine Department and how it accommodates doctors, technicians, and computer systems rather than patients, exemplifying both the specific requirements of the department and the extensive use of timber throughout the healthcare facility. The facade features a repetitive and modular design that provides essential shade while creating dynamic patterns.

Sexual Health and Educational Center, Efi ChatzikonstantinouThis model represents the facade of an educational place for sexual health finally detached from the nearby maternity clinics. It focuses on how the envelope of the building serves as a statement that provokes and at the same time informs the neighborhood and visitors raising awareness.

Outpatient Department, Nathalia KuipersThis model depicts a day treatment unit located at the intersection of two main pedestrian routes, spanning three of Tony Garnier's original pavilions. The Outpatient Department is designed to prioritize patient privacy, comfort, and independence, reflecting the project's underlying ethical principles. By integrating these values into the physical space, the department creates an environment that not only facilitates medical treatment but also respects and enhances the overall patient experience.

Morgue, Andrea RamosThe deceased patient room for specific procedures located directly below the garden and symbolically connecting it to the calm atmosphere, has a circular geometry which facilitates the flow of stretchers. This fragment represents the department's specificities such as the ceiling rails for curtains —which allow flexibility and different spatial configurations— and which at the same time is transferred across the master plan.

Biomedical Research Center, Lefkothea SpartiotiThis fragment represents the use of bio-based materials, which takes place across the healthcare facility. It depicts the relationship between the mycelium brick facade—an emerging fungus-based material, developed though bioengineering research and frown on site—and the greenhouse, which generates a microclimate and brings light to the interior.

Animal-integrated Rehabilitation Center, Misha FrantsuzovThis fragment illustrates both the medical facility itself and its role as an infrastructural element for the city. It demonstrates how the department serves as a mediator between the southern hill and the central plateau of the healthcare complex. The design depicts the ongoing interrelationship between animals and humans through the interplay of cylindrical elements and the surrounding spaces.

Imaging and Transhuman Center, Mohil BhavsarThis fragment showcases the connection between the master plan's ground level and its underground components. It illustrates how the design bridges the urban square above with the car parking below, providing direct access. The fragment highlights various architectural strategies employed to prevent a sense of claustrophobia in the underground spaces. These strategies include the integration of open-air patios and green areas, which help to create a more open and pleasant environment despite being below ground.

Surgical Center, Ximeng LuoThis model depicts one of the eight preserved pavilions, which are nearly a century old. It shows not only an enveloped volume that houses the program and that contains a helipad on the roof, but it also reveals the structural guidelines followed across the master plan to renovate and upcycle the preserved elements.

Sport Facilities, Ivanna GressaniThis fragment represents a part of the sport facilities network, reinforcing the project's broader vision of shifting from treatment to prevention. It depicts one module of the renovated thermal plant, showcasing the relationship between the existing steel facade, which has been modified, its interior program, and the freed ground level that reveals the sense of permeability across the project.

Geriatric Center, Carlos von BertrabThis model of the nursing home within the Geriatric Center highlights the food production system, which serves daily fresh meals for patients as well as to the public canteen.

Emergency Department, Yi-an TsengThis fragment, depicting the Emergency Department, reveals the relationship of one of the existing pavilions designed by Tony Garnier with the public space and therefore with the project’s civic ambition. It depicts the courtyard, the new elevated walkway, and one of the several public rooftops that provides clean energy to the complex with solar panels.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Evan CraigThis model illustrates both the internal layout of the department and the interplay between an existing pavilion and its new facade addition. The new facade envelops the original elements, creating a dialogue between existing and new, a recurring theme that visitors encounter throughout the complex.

A series of 1:1 objects

TrolleyDesigned for accessibility, this modular trolley streamlines supply retrieval and adapts to hospital needs. Stackable and reconfigurable, it enhances flexibility and efficiency in dynamic medical environments.

Bathroom ThingsHospital restrooms double as private sanctuaries for relief and reflection. A small screen informs patients while promoting hygiene and comfort.

Food TrayCompact and modular, the tray improves meal presentation and supports patient independence. Its sequential dish layout enhances intake and staff efficiency during food service.

SkylightCeilings become vibrant skylights with colors and geometric views for bedridden patients. These visual elements enhance healing by replacing blank overhead surfaces.

FootballDistributed across sports fields, the football symbolizes active prevention. It encourages physical activity among all facility users.

Staff Area Shift Schedule with Tea Set and Water Dispenser This station supports staff well-being with drinks and connection through shared schedules. It fosters hydration, camaraderie, and collaboration across hospital teams.

Parking Signage Intuitive signage simplifies parking navigation and reduces visitor stress. It conserves energy for patient care by easing spatial orientation.

Garden Cabinet This sensor-equipped cabinet organizes tools and tracks plant species in real time. It empowers gardeners to maintain healing spaces and biodiversity within hospitals.

Care Kit Made from repurposed medical plastic, the Care Kit supports patient health and post-stay recovery. Lightweight and personalized, it bridges hospital care with continued home comfort.

Medical Record This record transforms hospital sounds into immersive, sonar-like experiences. It maps the acoustic environment, revealing a deeper sensory layer of care.

Water Fountain Placed in green spaces, the fountain promotes hydration and well-being for all users. Its location encourages active lifestyles while enhancing accessible public space design.

Bed This multifunctional hospital bed provides comfort and autonomy for extended stays, enabling rest, hygiene, and procedures. Equipped with all-terrain wheels and personal controls, it ensures seamless mobility and patient empowerment.

Archival objects

An exhibition in the Orange Room

The exhibition is consisted of two parts, a series of exhibition "rooms" and a master plan with anatomical models that represent fragments from The Medical Complex. Through the juxtaposition of different scales across the spaces, the exhibition deconstructs the complex into various fragments in the 1:1 objects, 1:25 anatomical models, and triptychs, while simultaneously integrating all floating pieces into a whole in the 1:50 footprint of the master plan and drawings in further smaller scales. It aims to explain the thesis project to a public audience from the master plan, organizational scale, to the object, experiential scale.

Thursday, January 23 – Thursday, February 20, 2025
Orange Room

A series of events were organized during the fall 2024 semester as part of the ongoing collective thesis project of The Medical Complex, including a design master class, a symposium, and public lectures.

Clinical Trial: Narratives from The Medical Complex, a design master class led by Edwin Zwakman

The fall 2024 design master class entitled Clinical Trial: Narratives from the Medical Complex, was led by Dutch visual artist Edwin Zwakman. The master class was held from Monday, November 4 to Friday, November 15, and challenged students to build models for a miniature film set. Taking as a starting point the ongoing collective thesis project entitled The Medical Complex, students put their architectural ideas to the test by creating maquettes using visual techniques and special effects to convey the core concept of their contributions. The maquettes were not complete models but miniature film sets used to make a short trailer that reflected the core essence of the overall structure of the medical complex. The two-week-long program concluded with a public screening and exhibition on Friday, November 15.

Building Health: Architectures of The Medical Complex

Friday, September 13, 12:45–17:00, Room K

Participants of the symposium will explore a diverse set of case studies related to architecture and medicine, spanning from the turn of the twentieth-century to the present. Topics will include ritualistic acts performed around the patient’s bed; the maintenance and organization of hospital and healthcare resources; end-of-life assisted care facilities as exemplars of collective living; and the concepts of flexibility, standardization, modulation, and industrialization in medical design.

Presentations by Piergianna Mazzocca, doctoral candidate, History of Architecture and Urban Development program, Cornell University; Jules Schoonman, digital curator, Academic Heritage, TU Delft Library; Alberto Geuna, design leader and head of research and development, LVNG Design, Turin; Birgitte Hanson, lecturer, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft; and James Flaus, MSc student, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft.

“The Miner Memorial Hospitals in Appalachia 1953–1958” by Joy Knoblauch

Thursday, February 20, 18:30 Orange Room

Joy Knoblauch is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan, where she teaches the history and theory of architecture as an exploration of architecture’s engagement with politics and science. Her first book, entitled The Architecture of Good Behavior: Psychology and Modern Institutional Design in Postwar America, connects psyche and form to examine a growing tendency to govern behavior through the environment. Her current research is a history of ergonomics that expands this critique of functional theories of psyche to include military and capitalist sites of engagement including open office plans and digital interfaces.

Contributors

Carlos von Bertrab^(MX)
Mohil Bhavsar^(IN)
Efi Chatzikonstantinou^(GR)
Evan Craig^(US)
Misha Frantsuzov^(RU)
Sara Gohberg^(RU)
Ivanna Gressani^(AR)
Nathalia Kuipers^(BR)
Ximeng Luo^(CN)
Andrea Ramos^(MX)
Lefkothea Spartioti^(GR)
Yi-an Tseng^(TW)

With guidance by

Salomon Frausto
Pavel Bouše
Rachel Engler
Benjamin Groothuijse
Ana Herreros Cantis

Thesis Examination Committee

Dick van Gameren
Kees Kaan
Daniel Rosbottom
Paul Vermeulen
Nathalie de Vries