HEALTH AND SPA

Dear Readers,

it is a justified demand that hospitals and medical practices must not only perfectly serve the practicing physicians and nurses in technical and functional regard, but also actively support the patients on their way of recovery. For this AIT issue on health and wellness, we have found numerous projects (starting on page 84) that can do even more: improve the infrastructure, resolve an urban planning situation or even act as a conference venue for the Nobel Prize Committee for Medicine. This happened only recently in the Aula Medica lecture hall complex designed by Wingardh Arkitektkontor (top picture). It is part of the renowned Karolinska Ins titute in Solna near Stockholm; since last May, it has a new coun terpart, the Karolinska Uni versity Hospital (page 106) based on a design by White Arkitekter. Here, excellent interior design as well as elaborate art installations have a positive effect on the patients. How ever, it is best not to get sick in the first place — easily said at the beginning of the annual flu season. Prevention may be enhanced by the swimming
pools and spa facilities we have put together starting on page 112. To help you plan and equip such facilities, you can take a look at Italian tile innovations we found at the Cersaie trade fair in Bologna on page 32 and a summary of the latest panel and wood materials on page 70. We used the last sunny days of the year to fly to Portugal with a group of selected interior designers (pictures on the right) to determine the INsider 2018. In addition to in sights into Portuguese interior design and architecture, the focus was on the personal interior design approaches of the participants, and they chose the winners from their own ranks: Moritz Köhler, Studio Komo in Stuttgart (1st place); Georg Thiersch, eins:33 in Munich (2nd place), and Annika Wagener, Esteht in Hanover (3rd place) were very pleased with their colleagues’ appreciation. As every year, we welcome all freshmen of in terior design and architecture with the AIT Welcome Package. Simply send your postal address and your enrolment certificate to pstephan@ait-online.de and/or spread the word!

Best Wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect