A topographic connection

 The hospital aims to be a constant public space that connects both endings of the site. The project can be understood as a series of ramps connecting stepped terraces that enclose the required program. As these public terraces vary in height, each one is a place to observe the landscape, to connect with the own land. Commons spaces that bring families and nature together.

 A hospital should feel like a domestic space, a place where anyone in the community can relate to. In order to be welcoming, the project keeps a human scale where people do not feel intimated. Both patients and families can enjoy outdoor spaces where they can walk, bond, relax and have a healing time. This warm experience is aimed from the beginning of life. Humanized childbirth is proposed for the hospital, a place where mothers have their babies not only as an objective but also as a journey of love.

 Natural light and ventilation help heal people as they keep viruses away and the spirits high: they are considered as two materials for the project. The building is divided into smaller, horizontally staggered sections where interiors can connect to exteriors. The disposition of these parts create triangular voids at the side limits of the site, which serve as patios where light and air can enter the hospital. The building’s geometry is designed in avoid direct sunlight from the west, by facing solid walls to that direction, openings to the north and south give all the spaces a uniform and pristine illumination.

 The hospital is intended to be a low cost facility that helps the foundation keep with their significant labor. From the construction, the use of local materials (clay masonry, concrete and metal ceilings) allows the building to be made from things and techniques already present in the area. The division of the program into smaller blocks helps a progressive construction according to the needs and budget of the foundation. The dry climate makes it possible to control the temperature inside without AC: a crossed ventilation system with traditional fans allows the air to be renewed constantly, which not only keeps a comfortable space but also healthy.

 Connecting ramps are proposed both in interiors and exteriors, the Hospital different accessible circulations can coexist. It is known that one of the biggest challenges for a person with physical limitations is to need a special way to do everything, something that differentiates it from everyone else. For that reason, not a single step is proposed in the project, as that would determine an automatic primary and secondary circulations division.

 In conclusion, the site is what shapes the building. Walls follow directions that allow the project to respond to the topography, construction, orientation, sustainability, views, urban connections, program and user experience. The project interacts with the context in different ways; from the top is a welcoming small scale building as the surroundings, from the bottom is part of the landscape trough geometry and materiality. As a result, the hospital is a healing ecosystem that responds specifically to the complexity of the site.