Viljandi, Estonia

Viljandi Hospital

(Sanitary) (Sanitary)
2021

(More information) (More information)

A meeting place that promotes health and wellbeing

One of the most unique qualities of Viljandi, apart from its natural surroundings and lakes, is the restrained scale of the buildings that make up the historic centre. To walk through its streets is to walk through a living compendium of Estonia's architectural history.

The site chosen for the new hospital is strategically located at the crossroads of the city's two main arteries, guaranteeing accessibility and visibility. However, this location also implies a great responsibility: the plot is situated on the border of the heritage zone, within the protection area of the historic centre.

The architecture must therefore respond not only to functional requirements, but also to the cultural, heritage and symbolic context. Viljandi Hospital must represent its city in all its dimensions. This is why the project aims to synthesise the values that define Viljandi in a specific, respectful and unique proposal.

The main idea is to adapt the scale of the building to the existing urban morphology. Instead of conceiving a monolithic volume, the programme was broken down into a series of smaller bodies. This establishes a friendly continuity with the urban fabric, avoiding the perception of a large hospital complex and generating a more human and accessible environment.

The functional programme is organised into four volumes of different heights and dimensions, which slide and set back from each other, adapting to the geometry of the plot. This layout makes it possible to articulate differentiated accesses, generate intermediate spaces and build a fluid relationship with the city.

The whole is clad with wooden slats that filter natural light, bring warmth and link the building to the local material tradition. This organic skin modulates the scale of the hospital and anchors it culturally to the site.

More than a traditional health centre, the project proposes a citizens' meeting placeThe atriums, waiting areas and interior routes are conceived as part of an environment open to the community. A building that invites wellness, exercise and social bonding as part of a healthy life.

Project

Viljandi Hospital

Location

C. R. Jakobsoni tn 2

Customer

Viljandi Haigla

Year

2021

State

Built (1st Prize in competition)

Programme

Hospital

Partners

Co-authors: Planho and DAGOpen

Engineering: Arro & Agasild Inseneribüroo OÜ (Structures) | Integrated Healthcare Design (Medical Installations) | ITK Inseneribüroo OÜ (General Installations)

Landscaping: OÜ Kino maastikuarhitektid

Interior design: OÜ Pink

A hospital that does not hide: it opens up, breathes and belongs to its city.

The new Viljandi Hospital is inserted in the heart of the city with an architecture that respects the scale, the fabric and the memory of the surroundings. Far from imposing itself, it is fragmented into volumes that dialogue with the historic layout, creating a friendly transition between the old city and the new health needs.

Wood, light and human scale: architecture that takes care before entering.

The wooden louvred façade brings warmth, depth and rhythm. It shades the sun, filters the light and connects the building with the local building tradition. The grand red staircase in the main atrium - vibrant and sculptural - articulates the interior space and transforms it into an open, bright and active place, closer to a community centre than a traditional hospital.

Viljandi Haigla is more than a hospital: it is a public space in the key of health.

Each courtyard, each recess, each glazed corridor is designed to accompany the user: architecture not only heals, it also welcomes. Viljandi Haigla thus becomes a place to be, not just to wait.

Viljandi Hospital

A meeting place that promotes health and wellbeing

A hospital that does not hide: it opens up, breathes and belongs to its city.

Wood, light and human scale: architecture that takes care before entering.

Viljandi Haigla is more than a hospital: it is a public space in the key of health.

The whole is clad with wooden slats that filter natural light, bring warmth and link the building to the local material tradition.