Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum | HDR

Sitting on a hill overlooking the famed Black Forest and the Alps, the Schwarzwald-Baar Hospital has been dubbed the "hospital of light." Every space within the hospital, from the patient rooms with expansive windows to the main foyer with a sweeping skylight, has been designed to welcome natural light and allow occupants to experience the nearby natural beauty from inside.

The design of the building is inspired by the surrounding landscape; rather than building up, the building fits horizontally among the rolling hills. The exterior stays true to German modernism and features simple forms, cubic shapes, and a white facade with yellow, red and orange accents. Perched atop the building is a steel rod installation by artist Robert Schad that conveys "gestural, dance-like dynamism and concentrated energy. Contrasting the straight rod is a steel loop in front of the hospital meant to describe "turbulent emotions with panache."

The interior spaces, including the 446 patient rooms, are intentionally modest, light and friendly, achieving an upscale level of quality through a minimalist design approach. Interior colors throughout the building are warm and earth-inspired. A 650-foot-long, two-level mural adorns the walls of the hospital's main corridor, creating a rhythm along the corridor through a series of abstract scenes, cartoon strips, and bold color applications.

In the atrium, 10 individual neon nodes extend down from the skylight. The nodes are intended to be experienced as clouds of colorful molecules with changing color intensities depending of the daylight conditions. The nodes act as artificial light elements further supporting the idea of this "hospital of light."