International Multuple Sclerosis Management Practice Clinic and Laboratory
YBM.studio (Yoshihara McKee Architects & Carolina Buzzetti, with Rafael Viñoly Architects)
New York, NY 2005
Construction Documents
This 29,000 square-foot clinic and research laboratory specializes in treating multiple sclerosis. One large floor of a New York Midtown building was selected for this mission. The first design objective was to organically and simply integrate the clinic and the research laboratory. The layout is designed to enhance communication among the staff and to inspire interaction between the clinic personnel and the research scientists. The visibility of the research laboratories gives patients, doctors, nurses and researchers a sense of community, hope and a fighting spirit. The second goal was to provide the patients with a livable space, not just a clean and functional institute. Bright colors and wood finishes contribute to the comfortable atmosphere. The lighting of the round column capitals reinforces this by providing a focus and rhythm to the large interior spaces. The third objective was to introduce as much light as possible into the deep interior spaces and to avoid a maze that is often generated by large floor plans. Glass clerestories at the perimeter rooms, maximize and distribute light into the interior corridors. Main corridors end in spaces with windows to the exterior. This provides a sense of the exterior and an orientation reference. A series of glass screens and the punctuation of the round columns create a varied, yet rhythmic, sequence in the longer corridors.
