How can architecture contribute to improving the experience of maternal and pediatric healthcare?

Medicine continuously responds to new challenges, discoveries and changing social conditions. Architecture may not provide the medical treatment itself, but the environments in which care takes place can significantly influence accessibility, dignity, wellbeing and the experience of patients, families and healthcare professionals.

The Maternal & Pediatric Integrated Health Centre was developed as an academic proposal responding to challenges surrounding maternal and infant healthcare in the Dominican Republic, with particular attention to vulnerable women, young mothers, pregnant women and children.

Located in Monte Cristi, the project explores healthcare architecture not simply as clinical infrastructure, but as a place for care, prevention, education, community and healing.

Responding to a Regional Need

The starting point of the project was research into maternal and infant health conditions in the Dominican Republic.

The students identified disparities in access to quality healthcare and focused their proposal on the country’s border region, where maternal health indicators highlighted the need for greater attention and infrastructure.

Rather than treating these findings simply as statistics, the research became the foundation for an architectural question:

What kind of environment could provide comprehensive maternal and pediatric care while becoming a meaningful resource for the surrounding community?

The resulting proposal was located at the intersection of Pimentel Street and 27 de Febrero Street in Bella Vista, Monte Cristi.

Healthcare Beyond Treatment

The project expands the conventional idea of a healthcare centre.

Alongside medical treatment, the proposal incorporates spaces dedicated to education, psychosocial support, social interaction and community activities.

This approach recognises that health does not begin or end in the consultation room.

Prevention, information, mental wellbeing, family support and access to community resources can all contribute to the broader experience of care.

The centre was therefore organised around six interconnected programmes.

Medical Care

The medical unit accommodates consultations, primary care and specialised treatment across pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics, emergency care, diagnostics and pathology, among other services.

The objective was to bring essential maternal and pediatric services together within an integrated healthcare environment.

Hospitalisation

The hospitalisation areas provide spaces for mothers and children requiring continued medical observation, nursing care, diagnostic support and treatment.

Particular attention was given to creating an environment that balances clinical requirements with a greater sense of comfort and dignity.

Education & Psychosocial Support

Education forms an important part of the proposal.

Dedicated spaces provide opportunities for sexual and reproductive health education, psychosocial assistance and community support, extending the role of the centre beyond medical intervention.

The intention is to provide users not only with treatment, but also with knowledge and resources that can contribute to long-term wellbeing.

Social & Community Spaces

Social areas create opportunities for interaction between patients, families, healthcare professionals and the wider community.

Green spaces and areas dedicated to personal wellbeing are integrated throughout the proposal, introducing moments of pause within the healthcare environment.

Administration

Administrative spaces support the management of programmes, staff, resources and operations required for the centre to function efficiently.

Services

Technical and support areas — including cleaning, sterilisation, security, parking and operational infrastructure — form the less visible but essential layer that allows healthcare environments to function safely and effectively.

Nature as Part of the Healing Environment

One of the central intentions of the project was to challenge the perception of the hospital as an exclusively clinical environment.

The proposal establishes a closer relationship between architecture and landscape, introducing vegetation, natural light and outdoor spaces as part of the patient experience.

Nature becomes more than a visual element.

It helps create transitions between programmes, offers spaces for rest and social interaction, and contributes to an atmosphere intended to feel calmer and more human.

Architecture as a Framework for Care

The project combines a sensitive architectural response with steel structural systems, landscape integration and spaces dedicated to healing and community life.

Rather than functioning as an isolated healthcare facility, the centre was conceived as part of Monte Cristi’s social infrastructure — a place capable of providing medical attention while simultaneously supporting education, prevention and community wellbeing.

The proposal ultimately reflects a broader understanding of healthcare architecture:

Design cannot replace medical care, but it can help create the conditions in which care is delivered with greater dignity, humanity and connection.

Project
Maternal & Pediatric Integrated Health Centre

Location
Monte Cristi · Dominican Republic

Students
Hiara Andújar · Carla Méndez · Isabela Díaz

Programme
Maternal & Pediatric Healthcare · Hospitalisation · Education · Psychosocial Support · Community Spaces

Topics
Healthcare Architecture · Maternal Health · Pediatric Care · Healing Environments · Community · Landscape · Steel Design

Course
Design IX · EAD–PUCMM

Professor
Sarah Tió

Type
Academic Student Project