Page 51 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Architectural complex of Yiyang Garden

indoor and outdoor decorative materials, such as cement diverse functional spaces. The layout facilitates effective
floor tiles and concrete, have also been introduced. management and meets the needs of patients for long-
term care, medical treatment, and elderly services. This
3.3. Other ancillary buildings comprehensive approach ensures that all residents’ needs

Before Liberation, Yiyang Garden was located in a remote are met in a well-designed and managed environment.
area. To ensure that patients could receive prompt care
during nighttime emergencies, a resident doctor was 4. The integration of medical and nursing
stationed on the island, and later, a nursing school was care design
established. In consideration of patient and doctor safety, 4.1. Overall planning
Liang specifically built doctor’s residences and a nurses’
building on the island, further diversifying the range The overall planning of Yiyang Garden serves as a typical
of building types in Yiyang Garden (Liang, 2008). The representation of integrated medical and elderly care
nurses’ building was positioned near the inpatient facilities architecture, focusing on both the physical environment
to shorten the walking distance for medical staff, facilitating conducive to healing and the emotional well-being of
enhanced convenience and efficient patient care. As shown patients. The spatial layout of Yiyang Garden follows a
in Figure 5, the front part of the nurses’ building connects pattern where the northern section is denser, while the
two large rooms, which are used as multipurpose rooms southern part opens up toward the Pearl River landscape.
and meeting rooms. The back part consists of multiple The main buildings stretch from north to south, with
bedrooms connected by a corridor, with a small public building density decreasing as they approach the river.
bathroom on each floor. The front and back sections of Yiyang Garden consists of 2- or 3-story buildings,
the building are separated by a stairwell and a corridor, including complete medical and elderly care architectural
ensuring privacy and minimal interference between the spaces, with villas, operating buildings, doctor’s residences,
different areas. Even within a small-scale building, this inpatient buildings, and restaurants, arranged in a clustered
design provides an independent and comfortable living layout.
and working space for the medical staff. Medical buildings are classified into high-rise and low-
The architecture of Yiyang Garden focuses on orientation rise structures based on their height (Zhao, 2002). Due to the
and layout, with each building’s spatial arrangement based construction technology and architectural style available
on its functional use. This architectural approach creates in China at that time, Yiyang Garden’s planning falls into
a comprehensive system of medical and care architecture the low-rise category. Although modern construction
that serves the needs of patients, doctors, and nurses. technology enables the construction of efficient high-rise
Medical facilities include an outpatient building, a surgical buildings with greater land utilization, low-rise medical
building, and a pharmacy. For elderly care, there are buildings are often better suited for promoting health and
various types of inpatient buildings. In addition, Yiyang treating diseases. However, compared to vertical layouts,
Garden is equipped with Chinese and Western dining this horizontal layout inevitably increases travel distances.
rooms, a doctor’s office building, and other essential Yiyang Garden addresses this issue by employing functional
structures. Yiyang Garden efficiently integrates elderly zoning and incorporating multiple courtyards. The medical,
care and medical resources, providing the island with inpatient, and logistics departments are organized into
three functional clusters that are independent yet closely
interconnected. Landscaped courtyards, featuring pools,
trees, and pavilions, are strategically placed between these
areas, enriching walking paths and reducing the sense of
distance between buildings.
Yiyang Garden utilizes axes to organize different
functional clusters. The east–west main axis integrates
various building units, creating an organic yet orderly
whole that is adaptable for expansion and facilitates phased
development. In Chinese natural landscape gardens, the
axis is a crucial element, often symbolizing a strong sense of
order. In traditional Chinese feudal society, axes symbolized
the hierarchical systems of rites (Gu & Liu, 2021). Drawing
Figure 5. The layout of the nursing building (building ten). Source: inspiration from the Summer Palace, the design of Yiyang
Drawing by the authors. Garden fully incorporates this garden design technique.

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2830