BOE Chengdu Hospital

An Exterior to Reflect the Technology Inside

On the exterior of the hospital’s buildings, a light-colored stone accented by metal panels portrays a simple, but modern high-tech image. Vast expanses of windows create a sleek, uniform look, and provide views to the numerous gardens and capture as much natural sunlight as possible. To enhance the silhouette of the buildings, lush greenery was strategically placed throughout the site.

Circulation as an Organizer

A project of this magnitude also comes with a high level of vehicular traffic. Patients, visitors, staff, support and logistics personnel all must have quick and easy—yet independent—access to the space. Using an airport-inspired drop-off system, the main road leading into the hospital brings vehicles directly to the shared use center, which includes several drop-off lanes that allow simultaneous car queuing to prevent traffic backups.

After drop off, vehicles can then immediately drive forward into a below-ground parking garage. By moving the most of vehicular traffic to the lower level, this system enhances safety by reducing the crossover between pedestrian and vehicular traffic while also saving above-ground space for park-like amenities.

Shared Resource Center

To manage their 2,000 daily inpatients and 6,000 daily outpatients, as well as the 600-emergency department visits a day efficiently, the design team placed a shared diagnostic/treatment resource center directly in the middle of the campus. The resource center is connected to the hospital’s other buildings through a system of corridors and sky bridges.

The hospital is also home to several Centers of Excellence, including a heart and vascular center, cancer center, women and children’s center, geriatric center and a general outpatient clinic. These various Centers of Excellence give clinical staff the dedicated space and resources to best accommodate patients’ physical and psychological needs.

Separation As a Healthy Benefit

It was important to BOE that we provide a home-like feel for patients and their families to reduce stress levels. This meant making hospital operations and staff spaces out of sight and out of mind so they won’t disturb the healing process.  Automated guided vehicles inconspicuously move supplies between the six patient towers and an above ceiling box system further helps with material management. In addition to defined horizontal circulation, the campus also employs separate vertical circulation in key locations to separate visitors, staff and operations.

While there are dedicated staff work areas in every patient unit, storage spaces and other clinical functions are distributed to reduce travel distances. In the patient rooms, the space for family members is defined and  laundry systems are offered for long-term visitors.

A Focus on Sustainability

For its architectural and structural systems, the hospital used several prefabricated components, reducing the amount of embodied carbon produced by its’ construction and eliminating waste. High-efficiency LED lighting and plumbing fixtures throughout the facility reduce energy use, and all of the interior finishes, including the flooring, were selected because they contain a the high amount of recycled contents.

Healthcare As a Human Experience

With a desire to create a revolutionary healthcare experience for patients, BOE required  our design to be innovative. We examined traditional care models for large hospitals and identified where they have  fallen short. One of the most significant changes we made was creating as many outdoor patient areas as indoor patient areas to incorporate nature in the healing process.

Outside the building, an abundant number of outdoor gardens, including green rooftops, were placed at differing levels, offering patients views of lush greenery and places of respite. Each Center of Excellence also has a special themed garden. We incorporated nature inside the shared-use center as well; two large gardens surround an open lobby and several private gardens in staff areas function as places for respite and social activities.