Family medicine hospital of Rebecca Sealy Annex: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

Thesis Statement One aspect of architecture is the creation of a sheltered environment. According to Christopher Day's Places of the Souf. environment can be used to manipulate people, and architecture should be about how design and construction can approach health rather than illness. Furthemnore, many studies have been conducted in recent years, pushing forward the idea of the creation of a healing environment, through the manipulation of lighting level, noise (sound) level, use of different colors, the choice of materials, and design and arrangement the interior layout. Therefore, since health is an integral part of a person's well-being, architecture should promote a healing environment, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, and functional. The idea of "promote", is to introduce and incorporate the design of, and healin environment is the creation of a better environment for living or to reside in. (Further detail found in the psychological context section.) if Context ^ The site is located within the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) campus, in Galveston, Texas. The site is bounded to the north by Market street, the south by &- : ~^ Post Office Street, the east by 5th street, and west by 6th street. It is located on the southeast end of the campus and surrounded by a parking lot and two parking structures. Furthermore, it is very close to the visitor center and the main medical complex, through which many services will be shared. Generally, the material palette used for the exterior of the campus is brick and concrete, except for the newer buildings such as the Shriners Burn Center, which uses marble, steel, concrete, and glass. Therefore, the proposed Family Medicine Hospital would used a palette similar to the Shriners Burn Center to create a new image. FacJHty Type ' ' Christopher Day, Places of the Soul, trans. Abel Jaldana Jr. (England: Oxford Press, 1990). The facility type chosen to express my idea of a ^ "Healing Environment" is a Family Medicine Hospital. The S design will not only focus on the exterior facade and composition of forms, but it will also focus on the interior layout and design of the facility. The interior architecture "will focus on the creation of a healing environment through the manipulation of lighting, noise, color, and materials. The idea is to avoid the traditional "institutional" look of many hospitals. The proposed design is a medium size multi-story hospital of about 100,000-125,000 square feet. The facility will include about 200-300 beds for in-patient facilities, an out-patient facility, research facilities, and ambulatory services. It will serve as the design for the currently proposed replacement of the existing Family Medicine Clinic and Ob-Gyn Clinic on the northeast side of the campus.