Naturally ventilated hospital planned in Singapore

Currently under construction in Singapore's Jurong Lakeside District, the 1.75 million-sf Ng Teng Fong General Hospital features a vertical garden form that is optimized to reduce solar heat gain and take advantage of prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. 

The project is actually two hospitals—a private unit that will have traditional air conditioning systems, and a subsidized ward that will rely on natural ventilation in an effort to reduce operations costs. 

Despite the region's tropical climate, the design team, led by HOK, CPG Singapore, and studio505, is confident that natural ventilation will provide sufficient cooling for the wing. According to eVolo, the tower's form is designed to act as a funnel, capturing prevailing breezes.

And the floor arrangement is modeled to double the amount of natural ventilation and maximize the cooling effect in areas where occupants spend most of their time. 

Every patient room will not only have a window, but one with plans at gardens just feet away.