Healthcare Design - September 2017 - 45

Barbara Horwitz-Bennett is a freelance writer based
in Jerusalem. She can be reached at B B E N N E T T @
B E Z E Q I N T. N E T.

HEALING
OASIS

But in terms of its applicability for U.S. hospitals, specifically, Roger says that cultural differences might make that difficult to achieve. For
example, the Singaporean patient population is
more accepting of warmer indoor temperatures,
which allows the solutions used at NTFGH and
JCH. Furthermore, Baum says that thermal
comfort data for tropical climates like SingaCULTURAL DIFFERENCES
pore suggests occupants
aren't just comfortable in
MAY LIMIT THE
warmer temperatures but
APPLICABILITY OF
are actually uncomfortNATURAL VENTILATION
able and less productive
in cooler temperatures.
IN U.S. HOSPITALS.
"This research also tells
us that air movement
from natural breezes is very important, and that
can go a long way toward making people more
comfortable without the need to have a specific
fine, narrow temperature range, which we usually have to design to in North America," she says.
However, Baum suggests that there may be opportunities for more flexibility in designs than
building teams realize when it comes to ventilation and the temperatures occupants expect in
the West. For example, U.S. hospital patients and
staff may be comfortable in healthcare spaces a
few degrees warmer than current accepted standards, or there may be more ways to incorporate
natural ventilation than are currently explored
(for more on natural ventilation, see "Winds of
Change" on page 47). Ultimately, Rogers says,
"I'm hopeful that over time, the ability to open
up your window could become as standard as the
single room."

RORY DANIEL/CPG CONSULTANTS

P R OJ E C T SUMMARY

Opening date: June 2015 (Ng Teng Fong General Hospital), October 2015
(Jurong Community Hospital)
Owner: Singapore Ministry of Health
Total building area: 1.8 million (includes Ng Teng Fong General Hospital,
Jurong Community Hospital, and Specialty Outpatient Clinic)
Total construction cost: $461 million
Cost/sq. ft.: $248
Architecture: HOK (design consultant and medical planning), CPG Consultants
Pte. Ltd. (architect of record), Studio 505 Melbourne (design consultant)
Interior design: Bent Severin and Associates Pte Ltd.
Engineering: CPG Consultants Pte Ltd. (structural/civil), ParsonsBrinkerhoff Asia (MEP)
Construction: GS Engineering and Construction
Green Mark consultant: ZEB Technology Pte Ltd.
Landscape: Peridian Asia Pte Ltd.

NTFGH and JCH's
generous assortment of green vegetation includes a
therapeutic garden,
respite garden,
staff garden, vertical plantings, and
a garden linking
the two hospitals.

With a variety of garden
spaces and vegetated
walkways included on
the campus of Ng Teng
Fong General Hospital
(NTFGH) and Jurong
Community Hospital
(JCH)-including a pathway garden along the
bridge connecting the
two buildings-patients,
staff, and visitors are afforded outdoor areas for
rehabilitation, respite,
and dining.
For example, ward
planters are aligned and
positioned to be viewed
from each patient's
window, thereby creating a unique façade.
Although not accessible,
the planters feature
assorted plant types of
various sizes (including
trees up to two stories

tall) and are serviced by
water sensors and drip
irrigation.
Among the assorted
gardens, a mobility park
next to JCH with direct
access from a rehab
facility is the first of its
kind in Singapore and
incorporates mock-ups
of various modes of
public transportation.
"The park includes steps
and ramps, multi-terrain
walkways, a sensory
garden, and a pedestrian crossing with traffic
lights as part of its holistic care to help patients
reintegrate back into the
community," says Juby
Koshy Varghese, senior
architectural associate
at CPG Consultants Pte.
Ltd., the architect of
record on the project. 

SEPTEMBER 2017

Healthcare Design - September 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Design - September 2017