Extension of a Forensic Clinic
Universitätsstraße 84, 93053 Regensburg
Town Planning Concept
A forensic clinic of the State Clinic Centre in Regensburg is extended. The existing creation of the block structures from town planning is captured and then extended into the hill side. The two finger-like block structures stretch out, and along the northern convexity, an internal secured care room is incorporated, with a full view of the complete station, in such a way that this also allows a possible good view of the Regensburg Valley from the one-bed and two-bed rooms. In order to establish the functional space relations with the neighbouring buildings, the respective smaller area, where the Release Station exists, is turned at an angle, in line with the direction of the block structures.
Access
The building is accessed over one identity-building magistral for the visitors. From there, the two finger-like block structures, inbuilt with Youth and Adult Forensic facilities, are then accessible through security locks. The public Cafeteria is accessible over a set of magistral staircase on upper level 1 and level 2. The access to the maintenance, the waste management, and the Ergo-therapy facility is located at the back of the main magistral extension on the bottom of the hillside. Over here, a workshop can be provided and the whole clinic, through one shared security lock in the truck parking area, can be serviced and waste managed. The delivery/ pick-up of patients, the maintenance and waste management etc. and the delivery/pick-up at the yard of Ergo-therapy takes place at the 2 parallel prearranged yet separate truck parking spaces.
Architectural Concept
The Youth and Adult forensic stations are separately laid out along the 2 Finger-like block structures. The therapeutic workshop at the bottom of the hillside with the dual truck spaces for the purpose of maintenance and waste management, the cafeteria, as the “ Face of the building “, over the main entrance at the beginning of the magistral, and the Release Station in another separate building, are all appropriately situated. The architecture shall, on the one hand, represent solidity and coherence through the self-compacting lightweight, white-coloured finished concrete, on the other hand, the generous opening light zones between the finger-like block structures in spite of the seriousness of their function create a serene atmosphere. The daylight in the long access magistral should illuminate the access as unobstructed as possible. In order to give the patients the perspective for their future life after their treatment in the forensic clinic, all the rooms have been installed with glass bays, which are always bordered with shadow gaps and emphasized in terms of colour. The embrasures of the windows or the 5 cm wide shadow gaps of the glass bays and box-type windows, in accordance with the room function, are colour-patterned at the transition to the exterior wall. In this way, the functions of the rooms become easily visible, even behind the façade. On the southern orientation façade, egg-yolk-yellow coloured fabric blinds prevent a sustainable heating of the rooms. The shadow gaps of the full glass bays are of rust-red-brown in colour and the medium-grey-coloured box-type window bands of the therapy rooms at all levels come with egg-yolk-yellow shadow gaps. The embrasures of the windows in public areas are bordered in iron blue colour and the Release Station in lemon green colour.
Ecological Concept
The sustainable and passive structure, and the ideal temperature conditionings of all building surfaces are ensured by an ecological and economic heat pump system and a geothermal facility, which provide a cooling condition in summer and a warming condition in winter. In the case of heating or cooling, the temperature conditionings of all building surfaces provide a more consistent maintaining of temperature, ensuring an optimal adaptation for the room temperature, thus reducing the potential aggressiveness of the patients. On top of the core internal warmth-insulation and the vapour barrier, behind the temperature conditioning of all building surfaces is the flexible prearranged architectural techniques. Then the different temperature impact from the weather change is counterbalanced. Additionally these measures also reduce the costly air exchange rates. Solar panels are installed on the rooftop to generate solar power as well as to heat up utility water. The extensive green rooftops can also improve the micro-climates.
Landscape Planning Concept
Through the building’s integration with the hillside, the southern side of the building site does have a height difference of more than 6 m. The natural escape barrier is landscaping-horticulturally featured in the way, so that the green area has no possible escape route, yet at the same time provides the patients with a possible recovery in outdoors. Different yards with various heights are appropriately separated, thus offering possible access to different open-air and games areas.
