Decoding Modern Hospitals: An Architectural History

Abstract

The various currents in post‐Second World War hospital architecture have shared one central aim: to ‘normalise’ the healthcare environment. Rather than looking obviously like hospitals, these buildings have gone from resembling office blocks, to shopping malls, to techno‐utopias, to zoned campuses with a distinct local feel and a focus on sustainability.Professor Annmarie Adams, of Montreal's McGill University, refers to examples across North America and Europe to illustrate the different ways architects have found of putting the patient experience at the heart of their hospital design strategy.