12/9/2018 Architecture for health and wellness | The Manila Times Online

(https://www.manilatimes.net)
Sunday, December 09, 2018

Architecture for health and wellness

BY MAURO GIA SAMONTE
(HTTPS://WWW.MANILATIMES.NET/AUTHOR/MAURO-
SAMONTE/)
JANUARY 20, 2016

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MEDICAL and wellness tourism is emerging as a

growing industry for the Philippines. It is
probably made famous by our culturally
accommodating and hospitable character as a
Filipino people, our beautiful beaches and
mountain ridges. This is an industry that carries so
much potential, as it reflects our intrinsic Filipino
value of being warm and caring. But aside from it
becoming an industry, new researches show that
hospitals function more than just a place for
doctor’s consultation. It can also be a place of
well-being coupled with the world-class
excellence of our Filipino doctors, nurses, and
health care professionals.

Common notions

A few decades back, hospitals and health centers

were commonly feared by people. It is a place that
most of us go to whenever we think there is
something wrong with our body. It is also

destination in the Philippines that many fear after

the lechon and sisig season of Christmas. Before
even entering the clinic of the doctor, the patient

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12/9/2018 Architecture for health and wellness | The Manila Times Online

is already suffering from psychological stress. It

certainly does not help that when the patient
arrives in the hospital and there is heavy traffic at
drop of point, the lobby is dark and poorly lit.
Such is also the case when the first sight one sees
in the lobby is patients pushed in hospital beds
coming from either the operating room or
emergency room.

But I think, and others too I believe will agree

with me, patients and visitors should not have fear
nor stress when visiting the hospital or clinic.
Instead, they should feel relieved and refreshed
that they are going to be taken care of and that
they will become healthier after the trip.

Before hospitals are given licenses to operate, the

Department of Health (DOH) requires applicants
to conform to “The Guidelines in the Planning
Design of a Hospital and Other Health Facilities.”
This is with reference to Republic Act No. 4226,
also known as the Hospital Licensure Act.

(https://adnetwork.adasiaholdings.com/click?
New developments in hospital architecture
imgid=22737702&insid=8276230&pgid=754430&ckid=9055459649602626308&uii=576843437376366507&a
[timestamp]&tgt=%24dt%3d1t%3b%24hc&systgt=%24qc%3d128536%3b%24ql%3dMedium%3b%24qpc%3d
Around the world, hospitals are realizing the
for-health-and-
importance of adding greenery and landscaping as
wellness%2f240538%2f&go=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ana.co.jp%2fasw%2fwws%2fph%2fe%2f%3fcid%3dANA_
an integral part of the design.
Phillippines-USB-F0-32-NW-63) Research in
Singapore shows that doctors, hospital staff and
patients feel more at ease and relaxed by the sight
of a beautiful landscaping as it greets them at the
hospital entrance. Many hospitals have already
adopted to their design the placement of an open

or sky garden on the top of the buildings which

are easily accessible to all patients, most
especially to Persons with Disability (PWDs) and

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12/9/2018 Architecture for health and wellness | The Manila Times Online

to the elderly. In a hospital in Singapore, the

management is even keeping track of the variety
of butterflies and plants in their garden. In
Thailand, some hospitals are integrating aspects
of a hotel such as The Bumrungrad hospital-hotel.
Palafox architecture designs:

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YOUR WAY

St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City

In the master plan that we designed for the future

of St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC), we made
sure that we incorporated the best practices of
hospitals around the world, as well as insights
given by doctors and patients themselves.

Upon entering the complex, you will be treated to

scenery of walkways filled with trees, a park, and
the historical Episcopalian church. This visual
corridor impresses a strong sense of arrival that is
calm, serene, and contemplative, as opposed to
the traditional hospital design where you would
be greeted by a sea of parked cars and
heavytraffic.Having the sense of arrival is
probably one of the most lasting impressions that
we will have in a place, and it can greatly help
patients and guests to have a positive disposition
about wellness.

The plan for SLMC is to make it walkable,

bikeable, pedestrian-oriented and have a strong
sense of community. It will also integrate a mix of

uses, including places to live, work, dine, shop,

learn, and worship, among others.

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12/9/2018 Architecture for health and wellness | The Manila Times Online

Tarlac Medical Center

In our architectural design for the soon to rise

Tarlac Medical Center, we made sure that green
sustainable design and beautiful landscaping is
integrated to the entire infrastructure. Apart from
the 100-bed hospital (with provision for additional
50 beds), 80 outpatient doctor’s office, the design
also features a Pneumatic Tube Delivery system
that speeds up interaction among hospital staff.
There is also a roof garden that is accessible to all
patients, most especially to people with
disabilities (PWDs) and to the elderly. The
walkway in the garden is paved and has ample
access ramps for wheelchairs and mobile hospital
beds. Research shows that this may decrease
anxiety and may help faster recovery of patients.

We made sure that as part of the design, there are

elevators for patients coming from the emergency
room and operating room so that they will not use
the same elevator that the visitors use. Also, we
made sure that the patients don’t need to cross the
lobby to get to their medical destination. The
design also features a Sewage Treatment Plant, a
Material Recovery Facility, and a Rainwater
Harvesting system.

The role of architecture extends beyond

aesthetics; it has the ability to affect behavior of
people in a positive way. That is why the
architecture and planning of hospitals are integral
to the recovery of the patient’s health and

wellness. Health is not only physical but also

psychological, and it is in this aspect that
Architecture fulfills its role.

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