Architectural design of the Collaborative Space in Health

The project consisted of the design of a collaborative space appropriate for the professional practice of health specialists, who are interested in efficiently taking advantage of their availability of space and time.

In the design, the individual work areas of the professionals are complemented by shared use areas, and “collective” areas in which professionals can interact with their colleagues and their own and shared patients through interconsultation. 

The objective of creating a collaborative space was to generate a community of professionals interested in taking advantage of the synergies generated by the interaction of different specialties in the treatment of their patients, and the consolidation of a clientele that is strengthened by the offer generated through the project.

Architectural concept of the project

The architectural proposal is based on two important aspects: on the one hand, the functional space research carried out to build the medical-architectural program that complies with current regulations and the demands of the practicing professional; and on the other, the conceptualization of the appropriate functional space requirements for the solid construction of a community of specialist professionals such as the one that is intended to be generated.

The architectural concept is the sequential integration of private, semi-private and public spaces, through collective spaces that serve as circulation and meeting. With this conceptual proposal, it is possible to generate the appropriate conditions to mitigate negative impacts of noise and view easements, defining the qualities and qualities of each area and its ⏤individual, shared use or collective spaces.

Project process

Form
The form It arises from the compositional evolution of the distribution of the private, semi-private and public spheres of the medical-architectural program. This process implements an evolutionary algorithm that seeks to make an optimized distribution according to determinants such as the balance between necessary space and available space, reduce the negative impacts generated by the view easement, and minimize the travel distance for patients.

The initial scheme is based on a regular grid organized in three columns in the transverse direction of the plan, plus the cells required according to the spatial demand in the longitudinal direction. The three columns correspond to the living spaces on the interior sides and against the window, plus the column corresponding to the circulation and collective areas in the middle.

This central column runs throughout the entire project like a river; At one end are the private, administrative and service areas (lockers and bathrooms), and at the opposite end, the meeting room with its anteroom. These two areas are accessible from the collective space and from the exterior corridor. 

The main access from the external corridor is located in the middle of the scheme, as the public area of ​​the project. There is located the reception and checkout, the public bathroom area for patients, and direct access is given to the patient interview areas through the collective and circulation space. Sequentially, the collective and circulation space connects with the semi-private area of ​​the project, on the one hand, the area for adult consultation, and on the other hand, the area for children's consultation. 

The most private area of ​​the project is the surgery unit area, with an attached waiting and recovery area, which is located adjacent to the adult consultation area, with direct access from the sterilization area. 

Volumetric and spatial composition.

The volumetric and spatial composition It arises from the play of diagonals that break the visual continuity between the different areas, and generate the backwaters where the collective waiting and exchange areas are located. 

The private, semi-private and public areas of the project are physically divided with diaphragms that allow acoustic isolation to ensure the comfort and privacy that a professional practice requires in the field of health.

The central space being the articulating element of the collaborative scheme, the aim is to generate a serene environment of comfort and calm, which radiates the patient care areas with its spatial qualities; a light, clear and comfortable environment, which incorporates some color as a stimulant of the senses, generating in patients a positive disposition for their well-being, and for specialists the appropriate conditions for their best performance. 

It is qualities Spaces seek to stimulate collaborative synergies in a positive, productive and comfortable environment.