CommonLab
Bodrum Health Foundation Physiotherapy and Hydrotherapy Center
Healthcare, Competition
Type: Healthcare / Status: Competition Entry / Client: Bodrum Health Foundation and Chamber of Architects, Muğla Branch, Bodrum /
Location: Bodrum, Türkiye / Year: 2025 / GFA: 3.630 m2
Architect: CommonLab in collaboration with Set Studio
Project Team: Aslı Aydın, Tuğçe Nur Coşkun, Derya Ertan Şen, Selen Gündüz
The Architecture of Healing
In the Physiotherapy and Hydrotherapy Center project, health is understood as a holistic condition that includes physical, mental, and social well-being. Designed in a time when we are increasingly confronted with the effects of the climate crisis, the project adopts an environmentally and socially responsible approach, based on the idea that a healthcare building should support well-being not only for people, but also for non-human life and the planet as a whole. The aim is to move away from an institutional character and instead shape the health center as a place that can be part of everyday life, with the atmosphere of a warm and welcoming home. Rather than resembling a typical hospital, the proposal envisions a healthcare building that invites people in, creates a sense of calm and comfort from the moment of entry, and is closely integrated with nature. The project treats space and architecture as part of the healing process. Natural light, fresh air, a direct relationship with greenery, and the use of natural materials are considered essential elements of recovery. Conventional material choices are reconsidered in favor of natural, locally sourced, bio-based materials such as timber, straw, and clay, which help reduce CO2 emissions while creating a warm and inviting environment. The inner courtyard and outdoor spaces are designed as integral parts of treatment and therapy.
Urban Design Approach and Architectural Concept
The health center is conceived as a community anchor that can act as a focal point within its surroundings, and is organized through a spatial hierarchy that moves from public to semi-public and private areas. At the main entrance, a public forecourt designed as an extension of the surrounding green space strengthens the relationship between the building and its context, while offering an urban meeting point for the neighbourhood. This forecourt connects the building to the city by accommodating bicycle parking for staff and visitors, as well as vehicle access. A pedestrian path extending from the entrance square to the park at the rear of the site reinforces spatial continuity. In line with a holistic and preventive approach to health, the proposal encourages movement and everyday physical activity through walking routes and outdoor exercise areas integrated into the park. The building responds to the scale of its surroundings by avoiding a single large mass and instead breaking the program into smaller volumes closer to the scale of a house. The green voids between these volumes help relate the building to the human scale, while also functioning as gardens that bring natural light and greenery into the interior spaces. The varying heights of the two-storey structure, shaped according to the program, give each space its own character while creating a more articulated and dynamic appearance from the outside.
The ground floor accommodates the entrance and reception area, outpatient clinics, and hydrotherapy units, all organized around an inner courtyard, while the upper floor contains the physiotherapy and administrative functions. Located next to the main entrance, the cafeteria is planned as a social space that extends onto the terrace and remains in active relationship with the entrance square. The outpatient clinic is positioned close to the entrance to ensure easy access. The main therapy pool, designed as a double-height space, is oriented toward the park, while the other treatment pools face the inner courtyard. On the ground floor, the resting area opening onto the courtyard is complemented by a library, offering a space where patients and their relatives can spend time and socialize. The physiotherapy hall is located on the upper floor as a high-ceilinged space opening onto a terrace. A public roof garden is also proposed on top of the entrance volume.
The main structural components of the building, including the above-ground load-bearing system, are proposed in timber in response to both environmental and architectural considerations. The structural frame, composed of fire-resistant timber columns and beams, is infilled with solid walls made of clay-straw bricks and finished with clay plaster. Organized on an 8.40 m x 4.20 m structural grid, the system allows for flexibility and future adaptation. Timber construction supports the disassembly, repair, and reuse of building elements, enabling multiple life cycles for both the building and its components. The building is designed with simple construction principles and connection details that allow it to be disassembled at the end of its life.
Environmental Approach and Material Expression
Healthy interior spaces are designed through natural ventilation, controlled daylight, and the use of bio-based materials free from toxic chemicals. The inherent qualities of natural materials, such as regulating humidity, retaining heat, and helping to keep spaces cool in summer, contribute to a more balanced and comfortable indoor climate. A hybrid ventilation system is proposed, based primarily on natural ventilation and supported by mechanically assisted systems connected to automation when needed.
The brown roofs proposed across the building support biodiversity while also helping to retain rainwater and prevent overheating in interior spaces. Today, designing a healthcare building also means taking responsibility for creating a healthy environment not only for its users, but also for its surroundings and the planet as a whole. This calls for the exploration of a new architectural aesthetic. For this reason, the project avoids an aesthetic based solely on visual appeal or formal gestures and instead adopts a simple and honest architectural language in which the structural system, timber elements, and wall infill materials remain visible.
