Darent Valley Hospital

restricting the future. Every effort should be made to preserve and extend the life of abuilding as is successfully shown by the reinvention, rather than restoration,of Bankside Power Station.

In renovating the Tate Modern, the original style is maintained; there are few materials unutilised from its previous life, and so this agrees with Ruskin in that ‘a new style of architecture isnot needed but just some style.’(Ruskin, 1894, p. 191)The industrialsternness is constant throughout, and effective. The exterior, and the recently reopened oil tanks (Anon., 2011), are of similar design to existing values, and it accomplishes the originality of a world renowned art gallery, swiftly, elegantly, and without straying far from a 20th century memory. However, Ruskin limits the imagination and degree of designby suggesting there should not be originality for originality’s sake. Understandably, a building should attempt to honour its surroundings but the challenge that is posed to good architecture, is meeting this criterion whilst remaining unique. Although the Tate Modern appears a power station, the reinvented interior is striking,reminiscent of its past, and obedient to its heritage, yet distinctly original.

DARENT VALLEY HOSPITAL

The second focus of this essay is the contrasting Darent Valley Hospital on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. Built on the brown-field site of Darent Park Hospital for children which was demolished in 1988, this modern construction from 2000 is a 478 bed, acute district general hospital, which employs 1,900 staff. ( Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, n.d.) This facility entered into this essay for many reasons. The first simply being that this is a local site that I pass, and sometimesadmire it, on almost a daily basis. The secondbeing,that part of my nuclear family workswithin, meaningefficiency and the design of thishospital is easier to comment on. Finally, this is the interior design work of Nightingale Associates, an architectural firm with whomI have undertaken work experiencewithon several occasions which allows me to draw on the design intent. Moreover, this is a functional building, where design has to be compromised for patient care and staff use.

Sacrifice is all too often heard within public sector buildings. Darent Valley Hospital is little different, and the design has suffered, not in a visible, but in a limiting way, due to the restriction onfunding, which, quite rightly so,is devoted to patient care, rather than pillars clad in marble. However,the structure is impressive; a vast glass entrance hall introduces the main lobby, attending to a different purpose than design. Sunlight is one of the greatest, free medicines, and maximising light in any hospital is almost always beneficial1 . There is sacrifice within this structure, perhaps not withRuskin’s intentionsbut with a preference to the patients

1 It should perhaps be noted that this is untrue for the treatments of such mental disorders as schizophrenia.

and a dedication to the local community, however design is present but not for design’s sake. For a hospital needs to be appealing to patients whilst being practical and the minimalistic approach to this could be seen to satisfy the greatest range of tastes through its rather plain

appearance.

Perhaps medical reasoning results inboth the sacrifice of design andthe lack oftruth withinthis hospitalthat has clean white linesmet with glass and wood-effect flooring, more appropriate for the necessary hygiene precautions taken here.There is an inherent violationof honestywith the columns that appear to rest on the floor, when in fact they pass much deeper. When passinga wall, its texture, weight and temperature cannot be judged, for we do not know of its material under the white surface. However,there isan argument against Ruskin’s point that ‘all cast and machine work is bad.’(Ruskin, 1894, p. 55)For in our modern society where our population is demanding, the provision for the health of the public needs to be the best for the greatest number which is a classic utilitarian point of view (Mill, 2002). This, especially in the current economic climate, cannot be achieved in hospitals crafted by hand for the cost of labour, the limitations on size and the sacrifice of hygienic conditions would be too impacting.Aslip of the hand or spasm of the finger leaves crevices for bacteria and so the dishonesty that Ruskin resents, is here born out of medical requirement which highlights how outdated these Lamps may be.

Darent Valley appears exteriorly broken and with no strong line joining the curvature of the roof to the ground below, the sinuous curves lack the power of the Tate Modern. However, the importance of this building in society, and the way it enables the working of the undervalued employees, balances against this lack of architectural power. Internally though, the single corridor which connects all departments, staff and patients,draws thishospital together. Power stems from unitywhichjoins the curves to the lines and the white spaces to thewhite surfaces without the need of strong lines, or imposing walkways, so visitors can both feel comfortable and assume control over their building and ultimately, their needs. This is juxtaposed by the isolation of the hospital atop a hill, surrounded by car parks and fields suggesting of a castle, a place of protection, and ultimately a powerful source of health. However, Ruskinproposes it to be the mass of a building that gives it power. (Ruskin, 1894, p. 73)This appears irrelevant for Darent Valley which floats on glass, yet its powerful structure is absorbing of the surrounding environment, and reflects it through the lines and curves representative of nature.

An agreement with Ruskin suggests that Darent Valley Hospital’s organic form suggests a beauty in its structure and design. The three sloping roofs of the main foyer balance with the

curved main building whilst contrasting the horizontal formwhich settled into the surrounding landscape. The form blends into the curvature of the hill and exemplifies the complexity created through theinformed simplicity. This building, which is made up of so few lines and axes, and sits around this central corridor, forms the complex workings of a hospital that still allows for ease of use by the general public. The shapes are simply curves and lines, but together form habitats. The building is not stark, but the minimalismensuresthe focus remains, similar to the industrial design of the Tate,on the contents, who, in this particular study,are the patients.

At 12 years old, little evidence of thelife of Darent Valleyis displayed. Nor are there memories of those who designed and crafted such a building. Few people involved in such fields of architecturewish to be rememberedin a placewhich can be both stressful and heart breaking. However, other than the design itself, there is little evidence of the construction process, as with fabricated sheets, machine built to specification, error is rarely afforded or found. However, Ruskin proposes that the life of a building is shown through ‘contempt of refinement in execution,’ (Ruskin, 1894, p. 147) suggesting that an asymmetrical arch may be a sign of workmanship. Although modern architecture is so unlikely to see human errors in the construction of public buildings, Darent Valley shows that the thought and compassion behind such an intimate build is an insight into the architects and designers of such a modestbuilding. The attention to detail, although differing from that of a century ago, is evidence enough of craftsmen who have taken on a more managerial rolein overseeing the rise of these structures.

The local community is inherent within a hospitaland we see a reflectionin Darent Valleyof the surrounding settings, not justin the flowing fields and sinuous lines, but also withinthe sunken BluewaterShopping Centre. Extensive areas of glass,colour and organic design arereciprocated in the popular destination, whilst the rear appears to decline into housing-like structures mimickingand settling intotheestate behind.This respect for the community is condescending to modern skyscrapers that may tower over historical landmarks with little consideration for their impact. Indeed, this flow into the surroundings from the hospital is only broken by the unfortunately necessary car park. Ruskin recognises the importance of this connection, and a respect for both the social and natural environmentand the need for a clear reason in allowinga building tointegrateinto a community’s future.

The memory of this building is compliant to Ruskin’s beliefs with no outlandish originality, obeying its surroundings and blending surreptitiously into them. However, the simplicity of a single corridor fastening the building is innovative and unique. It obeys ever-changing English values of architecture that encompass efficient design and originality. Significantly, Ruskin