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Architects: SJK Architects
- Area: 87000 ft²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Rajesh Vora, Niveditaa Gupta
Text description provided by the architects. As the first multispeciality hospital in Maharashtra’s infrastructure-starved Dolvi village, the JSW Sanjeevani Hospital not only provides better healthcare to the local community but also facilitates the region’s economic and infrastructural growth. The hospital prioritizes physical and emotional well-being by integrating nature, art, and social spaces.
Ensuring Efficient Circulation - The hospital building is positioned at the center of the site, with ancillary services located at the edges. Clear signage and distinct entries for the hospital and the services block ensure obstruction-free movement of people and vehicles. Distinct zoning and circulation ensure easy navigation for emergency cases, patients, and staff, both horizontally and vertically within the building. The ground floor comprises emergency services, outpatient departments, diagnostics, and other forms of ambulatory care. The upper floors consist of the in-patient department, with OTs and ICUs on the first floor and patient wards on the second floor.
Ensuring Physical Well-Being through Passive Design Strategies - The hospital channels natural light and air to provide thermal comfort and reduce the spread of air-borne infections. In-patient and clinical areas are positioned along the northern edge for glare-free light intake, while the southern edge features open corridors and waiting areas with deep, sloping overhangs that block direct sunlight. Upper-floor balconies and corridors are designed to protect against heavy rainfall and promote natural ventilation, aided by break-out terraces that increase daylight and wind penetration. These strategies limit air conditioning to critical clinical areas, saving 50 watts of energy per square meter and reducing infection transfer. Highly insulating AAC block masonry further enhances thermal efficiency.
Fostering Belonging and Facilitating Connection for Emotional Well-Being - The facility is designed as an antithesis of the typical fear-inducing, white, sterile spaces that hospitals are infamous for. Warm, earthy tones like ochre and brown, commonly found in the local context, create a sense of comfort and belonging. Nature and art are integrated through landscaped terraces and traditional Gond and Kalamkari murals, enabling emotional comfort. Balconies and terraces also offer opportunities for interaction, fostering social well-being.
Offering the Local Community Opportunities to Thrive - While the 13+ specialized consultancies currently offered are tailored to primary requirements, the modular structural grid allows adaptation for future needs. The hospital has created local employment for over 235 people from nearby villages, helping reduce distressed migration. 99% of the hospital staff, including specialized doctors, live within a 25-kilometer radius. The next phase includes an additional 50 beds and a nursing college, with at least 50% of nurses recruited in-house – driving revenue and making the facility economically self-sufficient.
Saving Energy, Resources, and Inculcating Circularity - In addition to the passive design features, several interventions ensure sustainability. Slag is repurposed for plinth filling, saving soil. Stormwater is channeled into percolation pits, and permeable pavers enable the surface to recharge. Greywater is treated on-site and recycled for irrigation and flushing, while kitchen waste is treated via vermicomposting. A 6000L solar-powered hot water system and energy-saving measures like variable chilled water pumping and water-saving faucets further reduce resource consumption. Additionally, the landscape strategy utilizes hardy, indigenous plants, transforming the once barren, slag-filled site into a biodiverse green oasis.
