About this artwork
Goldberg’s research on hospital design allowed him to refine his ideal of “geo-centric” or “nuclear” plans for spaces where patients would receive direct care, including nursing wards, surgery suites, and intensivecare units. At the most basic level, geocentric spaces were planned with a focal point or epicenter that corresponded to a central activity or purpose. In a hospital setting, these designs describe the optimal location of the individual patient’s body within an area of specialized care. For a surgical suite, for example, Goldberg proposed a ring of six egg-shaped operating rooms, ensuring that all movements in the space remained equidistant from the patient (and surgeon), with the residual pie-shaped spaces reserved for scrub stations, supply closets, and observation rooms. Similarly, Goldberg’s radial design for surgical recovery rooms and intensive-care wards ensured uninterrupted lines of sight to the central nursing stations and privacy for patients, a model that provided the basic spatial and functional principles for all of his future hospitals.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Architecture and Design
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Artist
- Bertrand Goldberg (Architect)
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Title
- Affiliated Hospitals Center, Boston, Massachusetts, Surgical-Obstetrical Combined Unit, Floor Plan and Working Drawing
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Place
- Boston (Building address)
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Date
- Designed 1966
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Medium
- Graphite and ink on vellum
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Dimensions
- 55.9 × 86.4 cm (22 × 34 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Archive of Bertrand Goldberg, gifted by his children through his estate
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Reference Number
- RX23664/3.2
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
