Hospital as a dwelling for the terminally ill

Abstract

Architecture comes from a need in man to make a world within a world. It is a need to make a psychologically meaningful world in the vast and incomprehensible world that nature has created. Building is the manner in which 'man' creates a psychologically meaningful world. But not all of man's building satisfies this need. “ ... Terminally ill are the patients in whom the advent of death is fell to be certain and not too far off and for whom medical effort has turned away from (active) therapy and become concentrated on the relief of symptoms and the support of both patient and family.... " (Adopted from Holford, 1973, p.28.1) The terminally ill , require surroundings which allow them to make the most of their assets and which aggravate their disabilities as little as possible. They are to a greater or lesser extent socially isolated. The terminally ill ward then has to be designed to care for people whose capacity to relate to other has been gravely impaired. "Architecture is the act of place making, Connecting the specific to the not so specific, The present to the past, The form to the function. It means, more than ever, Helping people take possession of their environment, Which means allowing them to participate. Architecture must serve people's desires As well as their needs ..." Moore et at. The Architect has a more fundamental part to play in developing the built- environment. But to make the maximum contribution he requires, an understanding of the objective, goal and the nature of the hospital organisation- and the most effective interrelationship of the respective parts.