EPSAN MOTHER AND BABY UNIT
EPSAN, a psychiatric establishment located near the entrance to the community of Brumath (to the north of Strasbourg), is organized, behind an enclosure wall, like a little city made up of a number of pavilion buildings, connected by an orthogonal network of roads.
In the image of the establishment’s existing pavilions, the UMB was completed in the shape of an open “U”, enclosing a garden. This shape granted control over the scale of the structure by visually minimizing the area of space it occupies. The Day Hospital and Full Time department were placed on the ground floor vis-à-vis, the garden between them, separated internally by the communal areas that comprise the ground floor’s central part. This usage and sharing of space by the three entities of the Day Hospital, the communal areas, and the Full Time department, created a very efficient path for internal, linear traffic. The living spaces of each unit are situated facing the garden, while the service areas are situated on the exterior, facing the street. The consultation rooms are upstairs, which rests atop two-thirds of the ground floor.
The intimacy attained in the implementation of the “U” shape is further enhanced by the contrasting treatments utilized between the facade facing the garden and that facing the street.
