Enhancing the Hospital Image through Architectural Design in Korea
Chang-Ho Moon, Professor
Department of Architecture and Building Engineering
Kunsan National University, Korea
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Enhancing the Hospital Image through Architectural Design in Korea
In Korea, many hospital buildings have been newly constructed and remodelled due to the rapid development of economy & industry. Korea had concentrated on the quantitative extension of hospital buildings to cover the quantitative shortage.
Hospitals have tried to enhance the organisational image by design as the medical market becomes more competitive. Therefore Korean hospitals have been interested in the qualitative improvements in architectural design.
The aim of this paper is to brief the present situation of the health system and hospital building in Korea, to analyse the design endeavours to enhance the hospital image in recent years, to suggest some tasks for better hospital design, and to exchange some ideas with other countries. The method of research is to review & compare the architectural design elements of Korean hospitals built or planned for recent 10 years.
Most Korean hospitals have been uncritically designed with vertical concept both in urban & suburban area. Vertical hospitals usually have light-court/atrium and ornamental accents to avoid visual boredom and to enhance the hospital image. But some new hospital designs with horizontal concept have been tried to give patients peace of mind, harmonise with the surroundings, and to prepare for easy growth & change.
The architectural form of hospitals has been changed from simplicity to symbolic and aesthetic expression to meet the patients’ high expectation. The size and the scale of hospitals have been enlarged owing to the increasing requirements for new D&T functions and better healing environment. Various shapes of ward plan have been designed together with the consideration of spacious public areas and improvement of nursing unit has been also followed up to enhance the technical & functional image.
Horizontal hospitals need to be widely tried depending on the size and location of site to realise the fundamental goal of healing. The decrease of multiple bed-rooms and downsizing the number of beds per nursing unit would be achieved to secure the patients’ comfort. Users’ safety, patients’ privacy, and hygiene standards need to be upwardly considered, and sensory elements should be positively introduced to raise the hospital image.
Keywords: Hospital Design, Enhancing Image, Korean Hospital
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