Skip to content
Daiichi Hospital by Tetsuya Matsumoto

Daiichi Hospital by Tetsuya Matsumoto is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award d'Argent in Disseny d'Arquitectura, Edificació i Estructures Competition Category.


ArgentArquitectura· 2024

Daiichi Hospital

by Tetsuya Matsumoto

Client: Daiichi Hospital

A' Design Award d'Argent Winner in Arquitectura Category

Colors

The Design

About Daiichi Hospital

Daiichi és un edifici hospitalari situat a la ciutat de Himeji, al Japó. L'estructura de set plantes substitueix un bloc més antic i acull cent llits. Una façana porosa es tracta com una làmina fina i es repeteix en diverses capes, cosa que dona profunditat a l'edifici i suavitza la imatge feixuga que sovint s'associa a l'arquitectura hospitalària. La cantonada en capes respon a la forma angular del solar i marca l'entrada principal. Les superfícies blanques s'utilitzen per suggerir netedat i per tranquil·litzar els pacients. Una retícula de bigues i pilars metàl·lics sosté l'edifici i compleix les estrictes normes de seguretat sísmica.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award d'Argent

Daiichi Hospital és un guanyador del guardó A' Design Award d'Argent, un reconeixement extraordinàriament prestigiós concedit a dissenys d'alta gamma, esplèndids i impressionants. Els guanyadors d'Argent són obres tremendament brillants i summament creatives que il·lustren la perícia, el talent i la perspicàcia excepcionals dels seus dissenyadors. Es preveu que Daiichi Hospital sigui una obra meravellosa i de gran lluïment, remarcablement professional i profundament innovadora. Aquest disseny guanyador del guardó A' Design Award d'Argent és un invent molt notable i admirat que beneficia i fa avançar els límits de l'art, la ciència, el disseny i la tecnologia. Daiichi Hospital és una creació molt envejada que evoca desitjos, introdueix sentiments positius i desperta sorpresa i admiració.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
The new replacement building for Himeji Daiichi Hospital is built next to the late 1960s block that is planned to be demolished after moving to the new building. The idea behind this project is to bring some modernity and lightness to the old institution and to change the heavy monolithic image of hospital buildings. This is done by creating a porous facade that is treated as a sheet and repeated to create the depth of the building.
Dimensions & Packaging
Gross Built Area: 2239sqm
W55100mm x D29777mm x H29910
Tags
Japan, hospital, white, reception, green, architecture, interior, medical, clinic, reception
Production Technology
The 7 stories building is supported by a grid of metallic beams and pillars. Since Japan is prone to earthquakes the building is design with extra safety measure. The facade is covered by cladding panels from KMEW. The interior is built using drywall techniques and was finished with a variety of materials including tiles, vinyl floor, vinyl wall cloth, wooden panels, platina panels, melamine board, and mirrors.
Design Challenge
The challenge of this project is to design and build a fully functional 100 beds hospital that responds to the newest Japanese regulations regarding earthquake and fire safety, using a very limited budget and yet produce a space that tends more towards hospitality rather then medical. Finding the middle ground between small luxury, efficiency, cost effectiveness, limited footprint, and extremely regulated spaces.
Research
The main challenge with this project is to break up with the monolithic block representative of modern hospitals and shift the interior towards a more anxiety free hospitality driven spaces. While aiming to achieve this the design needed to still obey the very strict healthcare functionality of a modern hospital and keep the tight budget under control. The available land area had an irregular shape creating efficiency complications that needed to be overcome.
Inspiration
The design was inspired by its site. the shape of the available land area and its angular position toward the main road inspired the repetition of the main facade in several layers as a corner treatment that would be an eye catcher for the people driving along the road but also for the pedestrians walking by. The white color dominance is inspired by the cleanliness, the hygiene, and its psychological effect on the patients.
Project Duration
Project start: July 2018.
Construction starts: December 2021.
Project/Construction End: March 2023.

Location:
Himeji City, Japan.
Operation Flow
The entrance opens to the reception counter followed by to the waiting area that faces a series of consulting and treatment rooms. It also contains medical imaging area and an emergency area also accessible from a dedicated entrance. The second floor is occupied by the dialyzes room, operating area, and dispensing services. The following floors are for the inpatient rooms. The sixth floor houses the rehabilitation room, the kitchen and dining areas, and offices. The seventh floor is technical.
Team Members
Tetsuya Matsumoto
Image Credits
Image #1: photographer ©Nacasa & partners Inc, Daiichi Hospital, 2023.
Image #2: photographer ©Nacasa & partners Inc, Daiichi Hospital, 2023.
Image #3: photographer ©Nacasa & partners Inc, Daiichi Hospital, 2023.
Image #4: photographer ©Nacasa & partners Inc, Daiichi Hospital, 2023.
Image #5: photographer ©Nacasa & partners Inc, Daiichi Hospital, 2023.

Sponsored

Explore Beyond Designers.org

Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

The A' Design Award is an international, juried accolade for good design. Take part in the A' Design Award to get an opportunity to earn meritocratic recognition, gain fame, prestige and publicity for your work. Nominate your work for the A' Design Award and compete for the coveted A' Design Prize.

Nominate