How do you create green infrastructure in highly urbanised North Africa?

Site

Tlemcen University Hospital, Algeria

Designed

2014-2016

Team

Catherine Simpson for HLM. Thanks to IHG for permissions.

TLEMCEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Tlemcen University Hospital merges both hospital. urban design and infrastructure planning. The hospital design created a vast new urban landscape whilst stitching itself within the ‘grey’ cityscape of Tlemcen. Like much of the MENA (Middle Eastern, North African) region, Tlemcen has suffered from civil wars. Despite having a sophisticated planning scheme, Algeria suffers from the results these civil wars. In this project we proposed a unique proposition - to tether green infrastructure to new health infrastructure as a method of leveraging new funding whilst meeting the demands of a fatigued planning scheme.

Key to the functionality of the hospital is the prioritisation of a landscape that is part of the healing process for patients. This has been achieved through the provision of amenity views and a park-like landscape that can be explored and used for both recreation and contemplation; utilising the benefits of environmental psychology (attention restoration) and the enhanced experience of a soothing environment.