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KMD’s CHA Hospital, Korea Wins 2008 AIA National Healthcare Award

2008-07-29 02:45 4504

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The innovative CHA Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Seoul, Korea, has been selected as one of only four projects worldwide to win the 2008, prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Healthcare Design Award. It is one of the more than 15 projects undertaken in Korea by KMD Architects, with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and Mexico City. The design for CHA Hospital coupled with this esteemed award furthers KMD’s position as a

trend-setting and futurist international design firm creating innovations in healthcare on the global scale since its inception in 1963.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080728/AQM536)

The new hospital is among the first in Korea to offer a full array of advances such as combined labor/delivery rooms and water birthing, which invite the participation of the family in the birthing process. To meet Korean expectations, one entire floor of the hospital is given over to an extended stay spa, wherein women may remain up to one month after giving birth. Other aspects for women’s healthcare and maternity services offered by the CHA Health System range from in-vitro fertilization to stem cell research.

The new hospital brings to a dense, suburban Seoul neighborhood a gleaming, modernist building attractive to Korea’s younger women, and offers patient care in an environment often reserved for high-couture shops, spas, hair salons and trendy restaurants. The design celebrates high technology but also incorporates elements from traditional Korean architecture such as wood, plants, organic forms and water features, within and outside the building on decks and terraces.

In keeping with KMD’s concept of "Triple Green Design," which promotes energy conservation but also aims at enhancing human health and performance on the part of the staff and patients as well as the surrounding community, the new CHA Hospital is a showcase for KMD’s philosophy to create healthcare buildings that are efficient to operate, supportive of staff and beneficial to the well being of patients and families.

Included among KMD’s design goals is enhancing the hospital experience through the maximization and control of day lighting, as well as creating a sense of privacy in patient bedrooms within a dense urban setting.

Another, equally important strategy is the introduction of natural forms, plants, materials and water features throughout the hospital, within the building itself, in contrast to the high density and busyness of the surrounding neighborhood. Nearly all floors of the building, from the basement to the rooftop garden, become accessible respite areas for patients, staff and visitors alike, either visually or by experiencing the outdoor spaces and ever-changing Korean weather.

About KMD

Since 1963, KMD Architects have combined innovation and creativity to provide exceptional healthcare, academic, commercial and corporate architectural services. With offices in Mexico City, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and projects throughout the world. A leader in green building and sustainable design, KMD designs have been completed in over 30 U.S. states, and 15 countries around the world and have won over 200 design awards, including over forty from AIA (American Institute of Architects). Notable KMD designs include the Seoul City Hall in Seoul, Korea; Two Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills; Nadya Park in Nagoya, Japan; Ford Field in Detroit; and Jie Fang Headquarters in Shanghai, China. The company’s web site can be viewed at http://www.kmdarchitects.com .

Source: KMD Architects
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