$750 million will bring a trio of much-needed modern hospital designs to Greece by way of Renzo Piano. This set of hospital projects is in collaboration with Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Health Initiative, which aims to deliver new hospital infrastructure and public healthcare in Greece. Elianna Konialis, lead of the SNF Health Initiative, shared with Nate Berg of FastCompany that the goal of these hospitals is to “improve access and quality of care in regions that are underserved.” 

The city of Greece is a decade removed from the country’s plunge into economic and social calamity over public debts that have now rendered much of the healthcare system outside of Athens either inadequate or obsolete.

The Pritzker-winning architect and his firm have been tasked with the design and delivery of new facilities in Thessaloniki, Komotini, and Sparta. The hospital in Thessaloniki, set to be the largest of the three hospitals, will be a dedicated children's hospital. Mark Carroll, partner at RPBW, explained to Berg these designs will be “templates for a modern hospital [...] it's a modern hospital for Greece, but in the end it's a modern hospital for Europe or the world.”

Taking inspiration from the ancient Asklepieion temples that offered Grecian societies centers for healing and spiritual renewal, the two-winged modular designs will be defined by an emphasis on natural light, which has been shown to correlate positively with patients’ length of stay and recovery times. Additional design features include a flexible ground-level floor plan, specially allotted space for patients’ families, capacity increases of between 50-75%, and surrounding forested areas that further instill a sense of vis medicatrix naturae, or “the healing power of nature.”

Sustainability will play a key role as each of the three hospitals will pursue a LEED Platinum rating and run on 100% renewables. Each structure will be constructed using timber facades while including a host of rooftop photovoltaic panels and geothermal systems to power their 24/7 operation. RPBW's contributions will be followed by a pair of new hospitals in Athens to be developed along similar lines. 

Sustainability will play a key role as each of the three hospitals will pursue a LEED Platinum rating and run on 100% renewables. Each structure will be constructed using timber facades while including a host of rooftop photovoltaic panels and geothermal systems to power their 24/7 operation. RPBW's contributions will be followed by a pair of new hospitals in Athens to be developed along similar lines. 

Building permits were issued this year, and construction is set to begin in January 2023. On its website, RPBW says each project is will be completed by the end of 2025.