Hospital Architecture

by Paul James

Published 1 January 1994
The "Longman Building Studies Series" aims to provide detailed and comprehensive surveys of individual building types categorized by function. Examples of the very best contemporary building practice are included providing a yardstick of excellence for its readers. These books are aimed at all practising architects, client bodies, planning autorities and facilities managers. This text provides a survey of all aspects of hospitals as buildings, drawing on a range of international case studies of outstanding hospital projcts, all selected for their architectural and functional excellence. Amongst the types of hospitals considered are specialist/teaching hospitals, regional general hospitals and district general hospitals. The book looks at the quality of the facilities provided for both patients and staff and poses the question "can hospitals be architecture?" The reader is challenged to evaluate the aesthetics of utilitarian buildings. This survey, which takes into account changes in medicine, health care organization and construction and architecture techniques provides case studies from 13 countries of hospitals built in the period 1980-1990.
The book is suitable for those following degree and diploma courses in architecture; postgraduate diploma and masters degree courese in health service planning and facilities planning; and for professional architects.