The Patient Room of the Future: Generative Design in African Healthcare
Explore how generative design and AI are transforming hospital planning across Africa, turning evidence-based design into measurable, data-driven spaces.
Why the Patient Room Matters
From open wards to single patient rooms, hospitals have changed how healing happens. This article shows how privacy, infection control, workflow, and tech shape safer, calmer care, and why flexible layouts and small details, a well placed sink, clear sightlines, a real family zone, turn the room into a quiet partner in recovery.
The Strange History of Medical Architecture: From Concrete Giants to Courtyards of Calm
Medical architecture has never been just about walls and roofs. From the towering Soviet hospitals of the Cold War to the light-filled sanatoriums of Finland and the garden-filled courtyards of Renaissance Europe, hospital design has long reflected our hopes, fears, and beliefs about care. This article traces some of the most unusual chapters in healthcare design history and shows how their lessons continue to shape the hospitals of today.
Mediclinic Tzaneen Refurbishment and Expansion
Mediclinic Tzaneen is undergoing a significant refurbishment and expansion, a carefully phased project set to unfold over the next 4 to 5 years. The extension will add 9,272m² of new space, with meticulous planning in place to ensure minimal disruption to hospital operations throughout construction. This long-term project is designed to enhance healthcare delivery while maintaining full operational continuity. The architectural vision centres on increasing capacity, elevating service levels, and placing patients at the heart of the experience, all while celebrating the natural beauty of Tzaneen. From generous natural light to intuitive spatial planning, every design choice supports a calm, efficient, and healing environment.
Retail and Healthcare Architecture: The commonalities and differences in design approach
Retail centres and hospitals appear vastly different, yet their design principles share many commonalities. At Graceland Architects, we apply our specialised healthcare design expertise to retail developments, improving efficiency, safety, and overall user experience. Learn how strategic planning, robust material selection, and service coordination can enhance retail investment and customer satisfaction.
Commercial and Healthcare Design: Comparing typologies and design considerations
One would expect commercial and healthcare design to be different in almost every way – with the only common denominator being that something eventually needs to be constructed. In many ways this holds true, but surprisingly, there are a few significant parallels to be found between these two typologies.
Radiation Oncology Unit at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre
Graceland Architects was appointed by the Joburg Oncology Group at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre to expand their existing radiation oncology facility. The expansion entailed the incorporation of a second linear accelerator bunker, control room and patient waiting area. The expansion would allow the JOG to increase their provision of critical services to their patients.
Construction Project Development – Understanding how construction projects grow from brief to open doors – Part 2
Part 2 of this series describes the development of the feasibility study and the financial model culminating in a comprehensive business case document that is used to seek funding and attain financial close.
Construction Project Development – Understanding How Construction Projects Grow from Brief to Open Doors – Part 1
Every construction project will undergo a series of iterative stages. In this set of articles, we break up what each interlinked phase is and why they are so important to the successful completion of a construction project.
Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital – Paediatric Burns Unit
The existing Paediatric Burns Unit (PBU) at CHBAH is currently the only dedicated children burns treatment unit outside of the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. The unit has made great progress in reducing the mortality of patients, despite a substantial increase in the number of patient admissions.
