Jiangsu Hospital

In a sea of confusion, where disjointed buildings and erratic pathways abounded, Jiangsu Hospital wanted to create something easy.

The public hospital located in the city of Nanjing was disjointed. The hospital is in an overcrowded urban campus and was looking to increase clinical services and associated programming while alleviating traffic and pedestrian congestion; incorporating improved circulation throughout the final phase of the master plan was the main goal of the project.

Jiangsu determined that uncertainty was the last thing patients should experience when entering the campus, and although buildings and departments were already confusing, there were ways to connect these fragments.

Our team was there to help Jiangsu determine how best to stitch its campus back together, as if it was an unkept hem of a dress. We knew there needed to be physical connectors — such as a boulevard and front entryway to unify the new hospital, outpatient clinic, and emergency department — but we also were confident in the campus’ need for visual connectors as well. Light was one of the materials we wanted to use to create visual consistency among disparate campus buildings. Healing gardens also promised a soothing interjection that, when placed strategically around campus, would deliver continuity. Open spaces offered a connection between floors in the tower, enabling transparency across departments, and transforming a mid-rise medical facility into a plaza, of sorts, replete with sight lines and social opportunities.

From disorderly to dynamic, the Jiangsu Hospital can now be easily navigated, making the process of healing considerably less complicated.