Page 50 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Architectural complex of Yiyang Garden

Table 2. Three types of inpatient buildings in Yiyang Garden
Feature Single‑family house Apartment house Inpatient building Legend
Floor plan 1. Hallway
2. Living room
3. Bedroom
4. Bathroom
5. Staircase
6. Storeroom
7. Welcome desk
8. Staff room
▲Entrance
Constituent part
One family

Public space
Courtyard

Subsidiary room
Room orientation North, south North, south East, west
Building story Two floors Two floors Two floors
Number of beds One Eight Twenty
Semi-outdoor space Gallery Balcony Balcony
Photo

Source: Drawings and photos by the authors (2023).

came for recuperation were wealthy individuals. This This inner corridor layout allows for more efficient
suggests that the early construction scale of residential organization of wards, ensures proper ventilation and
buildings in Yiyang Garden was relatively small, lighting in the wards, and helps prevent the spread of
limiting the number of patients it could accommodate. infections within the hospital. In addition, doors on
However, once a reasonable fee structure was both sides of the corridors promote cross-ventilation,
established, the residential buildings transitioned reduce indoor temperature and humidity, and create
from apartment-style housing to inpatient facilities, a more comfortable indoor environment for patients
gradually expanding their capacity to receive more and nurses alike.
patients.
(iii) Inpatient facilities: Building Eight and the Red House These inpatient buildings not only adopt a Western-
are both located on the north side of Ersha Island. style inner corridor layout, focusing on functionality in
Building Eight consists of multiple single rooms, each the architectural plan, but they also simplify decorative
equipped with an independent toilet. Service reception elements on the façade. The only prominent design
desks and workspaces are located at both ends of the features are a simplified Tuscan-style entrance porch and
building, making it similar to modern hospital wards, a waistline at the floor level. The balcony railings adopt
and allowing Yiyang Garden to accommodate a larger a Western-style Roman column design. Despite these
number of inpatients. In early modern Guangdong, Western influences in the plan and façade, traditional
the veranda style was commonly used to adapt to the Chinese architectural elements, such as glazed tile eaves
region’s hot and humid climate (Sun, 2018). However, and decorative Dougong (斗拱) brackets, are retained.
deeply influenced by Western architecture, Liang chose In terms of materials, some traditional Chinese elements
to implement a Western-style inner corridor nursing such as red brick walls and wooden doors and windows
unit layout for the design of the inpatient building. are preserved, while Western frame structures and various

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 8 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2830