Municipal Health Care, at La Courneuve

VALERO GADAN ARCHITECTES WITH ATELIERS JEAN NOUVEL·La Courneuve, France

2017Hospitality · Health Care & WellnessGovernment + Health

Year: 2017
Category: Hospitality · Health Care & Wellness
Type: Government + Health
Status: Built
Firm: VALERO GADAN ARCHITECTES WITH ATELIERS JEAN NOUVEL
Location: La Courneuve, France

The municipal health center in the city of La Courneuve represents an important urban issue. This building participates actively in the major project of re-qualification of public space led by the city. This building hosts an overlay of three distinct programs: a municipal health center, a municipal restaurant and underground parking. The south facades are covered with anodised aluminum cassettes skin, perforated or stamped. The north facade consists in a fully glazed and screen printed skin. The pattern used represents the shape of a head, designed by the artist Jean-Charles Blais and inspired by the side view of Salvador Allende.

This silhouette is an allegory of the universalism of care, which is a characteristic of a public health center that defends access to care for all. The CMS brings together several services spread over four levels. The administration and the general reception on the ground floor, the infirmary, the vaccination, the generalized and specialized medicine, the radiology, the physiotherapy and the dental care allocated on the different upper floors. These services occupy on each level both the north and the south wings of the building, and are served by a large landing crossing from east to west, extremely bright in which take place the elevators and the main staircase.

Credits: - photograph - Patrick Muller - artist - Jean-Charles Blais