The Cluj Regional Emergency Hospital is a medical unit of excellence that offers medical services at the highest level, dealing with the most complex and sophisticated cases requiring special medical equipment and suitably qualified medical staff. As a result, the project aims at combining functional needs with a therapeutic environment, pleasant for patients, and able to foster to a better healing process. The clever and efficient organization of interior spaces, with large glass courtyards, provides natural lighting to wards, corridors and operational areas.
The outdoor space creates functional green areas, following the principles of sustainable development through a number of measures: management of rain water, reduction of “heat island” effect; improvement of local microclimate.
The building’s character emerges through a dialectic between form and function, by creating a fascinating and articulated spatial composition, flexible and functional in terms of spaces and paths.
On the West side, the built elements arise from a podium in constant dialogue between interior and exterior. Here, the relation between inside and outside is essential as the three volumes host departments where it is crucial to guarantee well-being and users’ comfort.
The Est façade is conceived as a setback volume, whose form defines a long block with a system of courtyard running along the central corridor. The main entrance is in the Nord façade, with a large glazed hall, which is the first hospital reception space and the areas of flows distribution. On the opposite side, there is a secondary entrance.
In order to emphasize the building identity, the West volumes are designed with two different systems: the podium is a ventilated façade, while the towers are covered by precast GRC modules.
The towers’ skin consists on faceted panels 3.80m x 3.50m aligned with a typical room and structural module of 7.60m. This system guarantees substantial variations through minimum module types, it creates a visually interesting facade and provides increased solar shading. The windows have been sized to balance patient’s requirements of a view through to the outside, free of obstacles, while ensuring that solar heating loads are reduced by using the full depth of the facade for shading.