Hospice

‘Into the Garden’ offers a natural sanctuary designed to feel like a magical green space under a floating roof. Timber construction wrapped in a translucent membrane, the building glows with the light of the exterior while offering a therapeutic ambiance free from exterior urban audio and visual noises. The jury summarized it as ‘‘a giant conservatory with a beautiful garden below, with rooms surrounding this garden that give a sense of both indoor and outdoor space.” The jury also commented, “The proposal presents a fresh idea about the integration of daytime care within an urban context through vegetation and a protective roof. The proposal offers a strong conceptual idea integrated into an urban context that emphasizes the use of nature as a healing instrument for humans and cities. It feels like a fantastic space to inhabit all year round.”  

“Nature Interlude: A Hospice for the Perception of Time” attempts to slow things down by integrating a system of modular elements into a green space of art and nature. The project is based on three conceptual points: the hospice as an extension of nature; a system of metrics and modulation; and principles of materiality and sustainable construction. The jury writes, “The modular construction system makes the proposition a universal design that could be transposed in different places, both interesting and ecological. The materiality and use of sustainable approach are well developed: the hospice is transformed into an extension of nature and into an open – air art gallery within a park. This is a very complete project with attention to spatial and constructive details.”

“Head in the Clouds” is a proposal for a children’s hospice at the McMaster Children’s Hospital in Ontario. The project studies principles of confinement and boundaries, breaking from the mould of the typical hospital room typology of four sterile walls and a horizontal ceiling to offer ellipsoid volumes that have no beginning or end. ETFE is proposed to shape these rooms and offer visual translucency among enclosed private and open common spaces. The jury commented, “The topic of children's terminal illness is really appreciated for its delicate moral issue, along with the idea of integrating the project within a university. The innovative materials, concept, and great quality of drawings of this proposition are remarkable and poetic.”