Having spent an unfortunate amount of time in hospitals in the past nine months, I've come to notice that, as a type, they tend to often have incredibly convoluted circulation and poor wayfinding. I understand that there are major obstacles to overcome, with the competing requirements of access control, complex mechanical systems, widely varying user groups and changing needs over time. Nonetheless, the resulting mishmash of endless corridors, blind corners, strange connectors and inscrutable directions seems as though it should be avoidable.
Often, the less-than-desirable results stem from a series of additions and amendments, as new wings and facilities are tacked on to existing structures. Previous constructors' lack of foresight or poor planning has gestated into gatherings of sub-optimal conditions. If one were to project ahead 50 years, one might create a new system where units or wings could be easily added on.
Hospitals are a type which clearly requires but has yet to achieve a successful architecture of expansion. The image that pops in my head is Kenzo Tange's Tokyo Bay City, or the Metabolist pod-apartments...
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