Dental Medicine At Graz University HospitalRealized

The new dental clinic of the Graz University Hospital is not only home to its dental department; due to its location, it also forms a significant bridgehead with the existing hospital site and the new campus of the Medical University of Graz.

Ernst Giselbrecht tackles this callenging functional overlap by using the building to create additional entrance to the hospital`s extensiv grounds and to constructionally integrate the new terminus of an extended tram line. The dental clinic consists of two overlapping square blocks, the lower of which connects visitors and logistics to the hospital grounds bridging a street and taking advantage of the stepped terrain. Above it sits the three-storey building, which, as it is turned by 90 degree, ensures fresh air from the Stiftingtal valley, which is so important for the Graz urban area. From the urban forecourt that faces the city one reaches the roof of the lower building via a staircase and elevator tower, which is freestanding in an exciting spatial blend of an elevated upper floor and an internal courtyard, without entering the clinic. From the roof one can directly access the plateau of the hospital ground.

The main entrance to the dental clinic leads, like a second entrance from the northern car park, into a central hall with a control centre and adjoining waiting rooms.The individual outpatient departments are located on the ground floor according to the treatment process and the different hygiene requirements and synergies. The research and teaching area is above these. A sequence of atriums optimise the natural lighting and ventilation, while precise views of the landscape help with orientation in the develpment zones. The three floors of the upper building house rooms for teaching, research and administration.

The clear structure of the white buiding is emphasised by the long windows with three-part foldable and adjustable perforated aluminium panels; it reflects the high demands for precision and hygiene that a dental clinic must meet in order for patients to feel safe and do away with the common fear of going to the dentist.

(Text: DI Martin Grabner)