KHOO TECK PUAT HOSPITAL, Ecopuncture Asia

Summary

Koot a Pot Hospital in Singapore stands out as an acute care facility emphasizing a healing environment. The hospital features an open courtyard filled with greenery, integrating its green spaces with the surrounding neighborhood and attracting wildlife like birds. Public spaces have become a community hub, with some visitors coming for social and recreational purposes. Volunteers maintain rooftop farms, with produce sold at weekend markets. Since its opening in 2010, the hospital has transformed its urban and natural environment, creating new pedestrian paths and spaces that connect people with nature.

Takeaways

• 🏥 Koot a Pot Hospital is one of eight acute care hospitals in Singapore, designed around a healing environment.
• 🌿 The hospital emphasizes the well-being of its occupants by integrating physical attributes of the building into the design.
• 🌳 The heart of the hospital is an open courtyard filled with dense greenery.
• 🏞️ What sets this hospital apart is its generosity and openness in design, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
• 💧 The hospital's water systems are connected to broader hydrological networks within the catchment area.
• 🌱 Green spaces in the courtyard are linked to nearby greenery, attracting birds from surrounding nature reserves.
• 👥 The hospital's public spaces have become a social hub for the neighborhood, with 15% of visitors coming for social or recreational purposes.
• 👩‍🌾 Volunteers, mainly retirees, tend to the rooftop farms, and the produce is sold at weekend markets.
• 🦋 Since its opening in 2010, the hospital has positively impacted urban and natural ecosystems, introducing new pathways for pedestrians and wildlife.
• 🌼 The hospital's biophilic spaces support relaxation, attracting birds, butterflies, and fostering a healthier community environment.

Q & A

What is Koot a Pot Hospital known for in Singapore?

Koot a Pot Hospital is known for being one of eight acute care hospitals in Singapore, designed with a focus on a healing environment that connects the well-being of its occupants to the building's physical attributes.

What is the central design feature of the hospital?

The heart of the hospital is an open courtyard filled with dense green cover, designed to create a generous and open space for patients and visitors.

How does the hospital's water system integrate with the local environment?

The hospital's water systems are connected to wider hydrological systems within the local catchment area, demonstrating its integration with the natural environment.

How do the green spaces inside the hospital relate to the surrounding area?

The hospital's green spaces are linked to nearby greenery in the neighborhood, creating an attractive hotspot for birds from nearby nature reserves.

What role do the hospital's public spaces play in the neighborhood?

The public spaces of the hospital have become a social hub for the neighborhood, attracting not only patients but also residents who visit for social and recreational reasons.

What percentage of surveyed individuals visited the hospital for non-medical reasons?

In a recent study, about 15% of those surveyed on the hospital grounds said they visited for social and recreational purposes.

What role do volunteers play in the hospital's community involvement?

Volunteers, mostly retirees from the local neighborhood, tend rooftop farms at the hospital, and the produce grown is sold at weekend markets.

How has the hospital impacted the urban and natural ecosystems around it since opening?

Since opening in 2010, the hospital has altered the urban and natural ecosystems, creating new pedestrian pathways, biophilic spaces for relaxation, and movement corridors for birds and butterflies.

How has the hospital created new opportunities for social and recreational activities?

By becoming a social hub and fostering green spaces and rooftop farms, the hospital has created new social and recreational opportunities for the community, including weekend markets and spaces for relaxation.

What kinds of wildlife are attracted to the hospital's green spaces?

The hospital's green spaces attract birds from nearby nature reserves as well as butterflies, thanks to its integration with the local ecosystem.