[flar]

McMaster Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, Ontario.




from http://www.aia.org/nwsltr_print.cfm?...0051019_change

The McMaster Health Sciences Centre (MHSC) in Hamilton, Ontario, designed in 1972 by Craig, Zeidler, & Strong Architects, commemorates an important moment in hospital design. To keep a step ahead of the rapid changes taking place in medicine, Zeidler created an infinitely flexible space, deliberately designed never to be finished. This utopian vision, a concept of ever-changing architectural form, is demonstrated clearly in MHSC’s design, function, and image as a prototype of the “plug-in machine” modern hospital. While critics rejected the high-tech mechanical image of the hospital, others understood Zeidler’s intentions and appreciated his achievement. Even today, 30 years after the building was completed, its presence is powerful...MHSC, which was designed never to be finished, did not change in accordance with the original vision. The building did not follow its intended master plan, the expansion possibilities were not fulfilled, and the interior redevelopment was limited in scope. In this way, the vision that had intended to create an infinitely flexible and dynamic structure resulted in a static monument. Still, the importance of this project cannot be underestimated. MHSC is now an icon in the history of the modern high-tech hospital. Its bold design, which continues to raise many tough questions, denies any compromise in the expression of its utopian concept. It has stimulated the transition toward the postmodern hospital.