Khoo Teck Puat Hospital harnesses power of nature in healing
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's lush landscaping - it boasts a waterfall, gardens and ponds all within its grounds - has earned it the honour of being named one of the world's most "biophilic" buildings.
It beat out a wide field of contenders to win the inaugural Stephen R. Kellert Biophilic Design Award - a prize that honours a Yale University academic who helped pioneer "biophilia", a theory about humans' affinity with the natural world.
The award was conferred on the hospital in Yishun by the International Living Future Institute.
It said in its announcement yesterday: "Khoo Teck Puat surpasses traditional hospitals and opens the door towards a new kind of building type for the healthcare industry, which considers how the built and natural environment can become part of the healing process."
It said that the hospital "used nature as a healing process" through paying close attention to all the human senses, noting that it is also a natural habitat for butterflies, birds and fish.
"The rainforest-like landscaping that weaves in and out of the hospital infuses the atmosphere with natural sights, sounds and scents."
Its design boasts such features as natural ventilation in patient rooms and the transformation of a storm water pond into a "lake feature".
KTPH is no stranger to design awards, with about 20 others under its belt, including the President's Award for the Environment received last month.
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