Last week, we celebrated the official opening of the Institut de Psychiatrie Intégré - Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc. This new institution brings together all psychiatric care, education, and research from the Saint Luc Academic Hospital and the UCL. Designed in collaboration with MODULO architects en Lemaire Ingénieurs - Bruxelles.
There are three clinical departments for adults (36, 36, and 24 clients) in both open and closed settings; day treatment (therapy rooms); outpatient care for adults; autism center (children); therapeutic center for adolescents; child psychiatry center; all with both clinical and outpatient facilities. Additionally, there is also a crisis intervention center.
Education and Training and Research: IPI plays a major role in psychiatric research at the Université Catholique Louvain (UCL) in Brussels, located on the same campus. There are classrooms and study areas for students in the building, as well as an auditorium used as a lecture hall. UCL psychiatry professors also serve as practitioners at IPI.
Healing Environment: The building is located on the edge of a natural area, the Woluwe Valley. It is designed to open, in three parts, towards this valley. The greenery of the valley is extended into the building. All rooms overlook greenery. The rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass, maximizing the experience of light, air, and space. The building itself has a concave shape, so each room is slightly different, creating a beautiful, flowing facade that naturally blends into the surroundings. As a result, the corridors are also curved, not straight. Despite its size, it is a small-scale building that is immediately divided into different departments from the entrance, making it feel like an individual residence for each client.
Use of Greenery in Relation to Nature: The Woluwe Valley is part of Natura 2000 and has protected status. Nature is integrated into the building; we have utilized the significant differences in elevation on the site to allow the greenery to continue over the roofs of the building. This way, the building is fully integrated into the greenery. Some gardens are enclosed, while others (open) gardens border directly on the natural area and seamlessly merge into it. By using untreated wooden elements in the exterior, the connection with nature is further enhanced. Even on the upper floors, greenery is experienced, not only through the view but also because the floors slightly protrude from the facade, allowing for green strips along the facade in many places.
#Architecture #IPI #Brussels #Healthcaredesign
#Psychiatry #Innovation #CliniquesUniversitairesSaintLuc
#MODULOarchitects #gafarchitects #gortemakeralgrafeenstra
#hospitalarchitecture
