paüls doctor surgery (competition)

What should a health centre be like? How should citizens perceive it? In a surrounding like this—a small mountain village—how do you relate to a public building with characteristics like these?

A health centre should be a pleasant building that transmits peace and safety to citizens, understanding that visitors usually come to resolve health issues. So the way the building welcomes people becomes very important. We propose a building integrated into the fabric of the village, with an entrance that offers serenity and peace to those arriving for a medical visit. This building should be more than just an object to admire; it should be a place from which to gaze at the mountain landscape and feel calm. It should act as a constant element that connects the patient to a sense of wellness.

At the corner of the site, where two streets converge at the health centre, the small volume is set back to form an exterior entrance space that becomes a balcony overlooking the landscape. To merge better with the surroundings, this small volume has only one storey, like the neighbouring buildings. The rest of the programme is developed on the lower floors; as the ground slopes, the north façade gains greater dimension and visibility, becoming another element in the village’s panorama when viewed from the valley.

Considering the building’s modest size, we wanted the public areas to feel generous. Around a central double-height space—the vestibule—we organised the descent and the waiting room.

In the waiting room, a large window reconnects visitors with the landscape. During moments of anxiety, one can find calm in the stillness of the mountains. The soft, neutral northern light enhances this feeling of serenity. The journey concludes at the consultancy room, also facing the landscape, offering a sense of calm and intimacy to both patient and doctor.