Healthcare

Hospitals face the push to evolve as conducive healing spaces

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES & CENTRE FOR HEALTHCARE INNOVATION

This development is part of the Novena Health City master plan development. It is a combination of two projects: the redevelopment of the Communicable Disease Centre, and a new Medical Education and Training block Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation (NTFCHI). The clinical block is designed to house the screening centre, outpatient clinic and wards for infectious disease patients. The NTFCHI is a slim 9-storey building housing an auditorium, seminar rooms, skills laboratories and simulation training spaces. The NTFCHI training facility will face the adjacent condominiums, separated by a new road, while the NCID clinical block will face the existing Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The NCID/NTFCHI is situated across the road from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and is next to the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. It will be connected to the surrounding buildings via link bridges and underpasses. The complex is designed such that the clinical areas can be locked down if there is an infectious disease outbreak, while the rest of the areas, such as training and administration areas, can continue to function. To enable this, careful design of differentiated routes for patients, staff and the public have been planned to enable the clinical block to be locked down in stages depending on the severity of the outbreak.

KHOO TECK PUAT HOSPITAL

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) sets a new benchmark in healthcare design with its 'hospital in a garden, garden in a hospital' concept. A competition-winning scheme, it features sleek aesthetics and distinct façades for each of its three blocks. The hospital opens up to its adjacent lake, while a massive sunken courtyard takes centre stage, introducing light and greenery to the lower levels. Aluminium sunshades and light shelves provide weatherproofing while courtyards, roof gardens and full-height glazing afford generous daylighting and ventilation. With its decidedly non-clinical environment and innovative eco-friendly features, KTPH is well positioned as a premier hospital of the future, both regionally and internationally.

NG TENG FONG GENERAL HOSPITAL & JURONG COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital & Jurong Community Hospital (NTFGH-JCH) is to be a next-generation healthcare hub in Singapore. Comprising eight levels of specialist clinics, a 700-bed general hospital and a 286-bed community hospital, the complex introduces a superlative healthcare continuum from acute to step-down care.

Departing from traditional hospital design, NTFGH-JCH's wards feature an innovative herringbone concept where 'every patient has a window', lowering the chances of cross-infection while allowing generous spaces for clinical bedside care. All wards are designed for flexible conversions between service classes. NTFGH and JCH operate symbiotically, with NTFGH providing medical and general support services to JCH and the latter receiving NTFGH's recovering patients. Altogether, the hospital hub features sprawling parks for patients and the community, complete with a jogging track and comprehensive rehabilitation facilities.