Special Mention
2010 Skyscraper Competition
Elena Batueva
Russia
The project of a high rise medical centre is planned to resolve problems connected with public medicine services in Moscow. The image of the building was formed due to the following three factors: the desire to get the highest possible amount of usable area within the city downtown – a crucial issue for municipal hospitals; the need of a structure solution that could provide the ultimate self-support in energy system; the necessity of linking hospital units in a way that will help to avoid all the traffic troubles existing in Moscow nowadays.
The system of health care in Russia is free, so the absolute majority of hospitals depend on the financial provision of government. In the center of Moscow many of them turn into shapeless and irrationally organized complexes that occupy huge areas of former manorial estates – places of historical and architectural value. The lack of state subsidies and indifferent treatment of local executives often cause these precious buildings to lose their original form irretrievably. Furthermore, many of them don’t meet the modern requirements for hospitals.
The proposal for the 450 m tall skyscraper is supposed to become a typical solution to be built in the areas with a historically established accumulation of medical and science institutions. The new buildings should surround the downtown part and become city reference points. This group of dominating structures in Moscow will symbolize the idea of people health treatment. High-risers are planned to be placed in city green zones and in relative closeness to crossings of the main thoroughfares.
The separately situated skyscrapers will be linked with aircraft service transportation. Some of the horizontal corbels in the structure of each building can be used as air-stops; thereby the towers that surround Moscow will arrange an air passage, free for travelling of medical helicopters.
Science-work areas and laboratories are planned in the upper part of the building, whereas hospital part occupies lower levels. This should provide a better communication of all the spheres connected with medicine services: medical equipment can be developed in the ultimate nearness to the field of practical usage. Employees can be provided with apartments in the top part of the skyscraper.
The tower is supposed to be absolutely self-sufficient in the matter of electric power; the special equipment that is supposed to be used as façade decoration module will produce the energy that building consumes.
The module consists of vertical-axis wind turbines and uses rotors that run vertically. It is a sort of wind power station, a clean and sustainable fuel source that does not run out and brings no harm to environment. In comparison with widely-spread horizontal-axis wind turbines, vertical-axis turbines can continue to produce power even in high wind conditions without risk of getting damaged and they do not need to be pointed into the wind to be effective – these are the essential qualities for the climatic zone taken up by Moscow.
The vertical-axis wind module can also be regarded as a decoration element that provides an exclusive appearance to any construction and reaches the most effective measure of energy at any height of the building. The noiseless mechanism will create no discomfort for patients of hospitals and inhabitants of the apex of the skyscraper.
The shape that shoots upwards out of the ground creates a crystallized appearance with help of high technologies. The architectural image is developed to answer the most vital needs of city dwellers.
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