Do hospitals have to be ugly? The history of our health design.
They are some of the largest and most prominent buildings in our cities and towns. Places we are all are likely to spend significant time, as family and patients, weak or upset,. So why are hospitals so often considered ugly and unfriendly?
Chris Thom is an architect who specialises in hospital and mental health unit design. A principal of Chow-Hill Architects, he's the author of the just published book Health Design in New Zealand. It considers over 190 years of hospital building.
This book arrives as the government reports the average age of buildings operated by Te Whatu Ora: Health New Zealand as 47 years, with many requiring major work. Meanwhile, there is growing demand from an aging population, and advances in medical technology to accommodate.
Listen to the interview on RNZ here.
