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ARCHITECTURE
& DESIGN

Art Architecture

University Hospital’s Innovative Approach to Art, Healing and Sustainability

By Furkan Torlak, MBS

The 10 story Sky Tower of University Hospi-
tal opened its doors to patients and families alike
in April of 2014. Designed by the coordinated
efforts of three architectural firms, University
Hospital is a testament to modern architecture
and its role in human health. From an architec-
tural standpoint, the University Hospital Sky
Tower expansion is a textbook piece of modern
architectural design. The designers of the build-
ing were clearly inspired by the ever-growing
number of modernist buildings around the
world, whose initial inspiration all comes from
the Bauhaus school in Germany.
Architects like Walter Gropius and Frank
UHS Sky Tower at dusk. Photo courtesy of Zachary Construction Corp, one of the firms that helped
Lloyd Wright pioneered the modernist archi- build the new hospital addition.
tectural movement, and now the combination
of steel, glass, and concrete has become symbolic of profession- But what happens when the patient
alism, industry, and the power of human development over the walks inside?
chaos of nature. University Hospital’s sleek, steel exterior instills Interior design is an ever-growing discipline that’s meant to appeal
patients with the confidence that they will be receiving the best to the eye and navigate it around to prevent a sense of boredom
quality of care. with a space. Nothing is more important than the feeling you get
Human society revolves around the ability to make impulse judge- when you enter the hospital lobby for the first time. At Sky Tower,
ments. Perhaps this stems from an evolutionary need to evade dan- you immediately notice the bright white of the flooring that reflects
ger, but has given birth to modern-day marketing. We are constantly the sun’s rays that shine through the all glass exterior of the building.
comparing, constantly assessing and constantly making decisions. The high ceilings and scaling artwork by Ed Carpenter, known as
Although some of these are conscious processes, many of our in- Foxglove, creates a wonderful feeling of tons of open space. The
stinctual decisions fly under the radar in our subconscious thought. illusion of open space can sometimes be even more powerful than
We have been geared to like the clean and the new. the actual reality of it as the space creates a question with which
The modernist take on architecture creates a refined, geometric one desires an answer. It captivates. Aside from the feelings of space
exterior so pleasing to the human psyche that the building markets and brightness, a hospital needs to provide areas that stimulate re-
itself. It does not tickle the eye with free-flowing forms or medieval flection and serenity.
spires. After all, a hospital is no place for whimsy or nonsense, it is Maintaining mental health and psychological wellbeing also re-
a place for the serious business of human healing. The ideals for a quires areas for relaxation and indulging the imagination. For this,
good hospital need to be summed up and sold to the patient before patients can experience the one-acre green space expansion known
they make it through the door. For our local University Hospital, as the “Jardin,” or one of two rooftop gardens. Patients also have
the new building has been a powerful investment into the brand the opportunity to explore all of the amazing art showcased around
that is University Health System. the new hospital expansion.

16 San Antonio Medicine • September 2018