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» In Practice
A hospital
in the country
The new Johannes-Wesling Klinikum is attractively
situated in the countryside south of Minden.
The low-rise, three-story building is structured by
way of numerous landscaped inner courtyards
and offers patients, staff and visitors wonderful
views of the natural surroundings.
By Britta Rohlfing Photos Jochen Stüber
In the space of just three years, one of the largest new
hospitals in Germany was built on the edge of Minden.
Named after the physician Johannes Wesling of Minden,
the new hospital replaces two old institutions in the town
center. With over 800 beds and equipped with state-ofthe-art
technology, the hospital serves more than just the
region in which it is located. Düsseldorf-based architecture
studio TMK Architekten + Ingenieure won the competition
to build the hospital in 2003. The client specified
a building of no more than four stories – spelling a very
flat profile given the hospital’s size.
TMK’s design divides the building, which is roughly 300
meters long, into several individual structures linked by
two main routes, a north and a south axis. Inner courtyards
and green areas in-between create a connection to
the outside space, opening up the building and providing
most hospital rooms with daylight and natural ventilation.
For the architects, key aspects of the design were
scale and transparence. Despite the enormity of the edifice,
patients, staff and visitors can easily find their way
around. With its three stories, the hospital is a manage-
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