This 550-bed public hospital in Yishun serves the healthcare needs of more than 700,000 people living and working in the north of Singapore. It was designed by CPG Consultants for Alexandra Health, a healthcare cluster that also manages Alexandra Hospital.

The design brief in a competition for this project called for a “hassle-free” hospital, one that needed to be efficient for both staff and patients and also in terms of energy consumption. CPG Consultants’ winning design breaks away from the traditional expectation of hospitals that look clinical — an immaculate clean box that is hygienically white inside out. Instead, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital’s (KTPH) design subverts this stereotype while still bolstering its needs as a hospital.

Its wards allow for maximum transparency and view by opening up the facade of the hospital’s three blocks. This presents KTPH’s users the surrounding nature in an almost resort-like setting, or what some have dubbed a “Medical Shangri-La”, says Mr Lee Soo Khoong, the architect of this hospital. “Our design concepts are underpinned by the desire to create a healing environment, and its layout and spaces are not restricted by conventional hospital typology, which is traditionally very function-driven,” he explains.

Central to KTPH’s design is the idea that “nature would nurture”. It took a leaf out of Alexandra Hospital’s legacy as a quality healthcare site in lush greenery and incorporated it throughout the design of this new hospital. KTPH’s facilities overlook a central garden courtyard, rooftops and a main entrance canopy landscaped with greenery, and even wards lined with planter boxes.

But the hospital is not just green, it is eco-friendly too. Its roofs have solar panels to heat up water for the hospital’s use, while louvres on the façade block out direct sunlight and channel prevailing winds throughout the interior. This has created a well-ventilated hospital that does away with the need for air-conditioning in public areas, saving energy costs. Such green features have won the building numerous green awards since it was completed in June 2010.

CPG Consultant’s efforts to design an extraordinarily green hospital were also a response to its location in Yishun, says Mr Lee. KTPH stands in a 3.4-hectare site that was once a green lung in a builtup neighbourhood. “The challenge was to recreate the charm and naturalistic ambience of Alexandra Hospital, and at the same time to return the green lung to the nearby residents,” he says.

In place of the ground spaces taken up by the building, are roof gardens and also a community garden that is tended by residents living in the area. In terms of building scale and height, KTPH’s design has also been sensitive to the neighbouring public housing blocks by avoiding an inward looking gigantic block. Instead, it is made up of small blocks that open out towards the adjacent Yishun Pond, drawing the surrounding nature into the hospital.

These various features helped CPG Consultants to realise its vision of creating a friendly and inclusive hospital. Mr Lee notes that besides patients, members of the public come to the hospital to exercise, admire the greenery, and have their daily meals in its eateries. The food court with its view of the pond has also become the latest hangout space for studying. He believes that KTPH exemplifies a different approach to building communal spaces, especially important for cities like Singapore where the jostle for privacy makes space small and exclusive. “Building design should be inclusive in approach, and whenever possible, spaces should be opened up and shared,” he says.