Ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the Futian Women and Children Hospital Project in Shenzhen

November 26, 2019, was an important milestone for the Futian Women and Children Hospital Project in Shenzhen, with the ceremony of laying the foundation stone. The project is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2023.

Located in Futian District, very central to Shenzhen, the project enjoys an exceptional site. The total surface area is 140,000 m2 for 800 beds, and the building height is 85m for 24 levels (including 4 levels in basement). It aims to become a high-quality public health care institution for women and children. It will also include the functions of a medical diagnosis and prevention center, as well as a teaching and research center.

The project is located next to the mountain Antuo Shan, an area in full urban renewal. As the largest public building in the area, it will serve as a landmark for the district, as well as an example to follow of hospital design in Shenzhen.

Directly in front of the site is located Antuo Shan Mountain, a former stone quarry, whose resources have largely contributed to the land reclamations in the early development of Shenzhen in the 80s, winning ground over the sea, a milestone in the city's exceptional history. The Antuo Shan Mountain’s particular stepping shape has inspired the volumetric design approach of the building. From the combination of the project program with its site, came the concept of “Green Steps of Life”.

The project consists of a series of vertical terraced gardens, as well as double-height green areas, offering outdoor activities as extensions of the interior functions. Basically, the entire original site is extruded at different heights, creating green terraces which make it possible to improve the user's experience in a vertical building. The landscape design addresses the needs and comfort of different types of users, children, pregnant women, and medical staff.

One of the main constraints of the project was to combine the small size of the site with the high density of the program. This required distributing the traffic in 3 dimensions, to separate the different flows, pedestrian and vehicles. In addition, adapting to the semi-tropical climate of Shenzhen, the plaza extends beneath the building, in a covered and ventilated outdoor area, providing a pleasant, protective public space, which is a transition between the city and the lobby of the hospital.

The Obstetrics department, NICU and Surgery department are arranged on the same floor in order to improve working conditions and medical efficiency. This functional medical planning is recognized as a very innovative combination, improving the current local practices.

The project offers a separation of dedicated access to the different functions; in particular the entrance to the prevention service is distinct from the medical entries. In the podium, an inner East / West main circulation naturally connects all the functions between them, consultations, emergency, medical technical platform and preventive medicine. This medical street allows a clear and easy circulation. The accesses of patients and staff are also separated, as are the vertical circulations, dedicated to patients, visitors, staff, clean and dirty logistics flows. A battery of elevators transports visitors directly from the lobby to the impatient wards, which are from 8th floor upward.

The composition of the facade includes elements of different sizes, which address the scale of the city, the scale of the building, as well as the human scale. The horizontal fragmented lines address the particular profile of the nearby Antuo Shan Mountain, with its characteristic strata composed of blocks of rough stones. In the same time, the general volume of the building provides a global picture that contains the concept of Green Steps of Life.