In the Finistère department of France, Bohars Psychiatric Hospital is set to be reborn through an architectural project designed by AIA, which won the design competition in April 2022. Completion is expected by the end of 2027.
Originally opened in 1975, the Bohars Hospital quickly established itself as a key facility in Northern Finistère. However, its outdated design no longer aligns with the modern evolution of psychiatric care. Architecturally obsolete and more akin to a fortress than a place open to the world and conducive to interaction, the current hospital will be demolished and replaced by a completely new facility built on the existing site.
The new hospital will be located on a 21-hectare plot and will span 10,485 m² of usable space. It will offer 197 beds and include an agora, a medical-administrative area, a public health crisis unit, residential accommodation, three adult psychiatry units, a geriatric psychiatry unit, and a child and adolescent psychiatry unit. The construction will be carried out in two phases.
Access to the hospital is via Rue du Tromeur. A thoughtfully designed urban façade will integrate the facility into the neighborhood, aiming to be welcoming to patients and non-intrusive to residents. A landscaped parking area, continuous with the public space, facilitates the separation of flows—patients and visitors, staff, and logistics—enhancing the site’s functionality.
The entrance building, on two levels, houses logistical and medical-administrative functions. A landscaped walkway runs north to south across the site, separating this building into two and providing a gentle transition from public space to the more private realm of the hospital and its park.
Crossing this walkway on an east-west axis, the agora is both a functional centerpiece and symbolic heart of the new hospital. It serves as a vital hub for hospital life. Designed with wooden structures that echo the surrounding trees, and flooded with natural light, it creates a peaceful connection between the building and the landscape. A café, workshops, and a sports court enrich the agora, making it a unifying, social space.
The treatment units, located beyond the agora, follow the natural slope of the land, resulting in multiple ground-floor levels. A low-rise design creates a visually calming linear structure. The hospital no longer looms over its surroundings; it sheds its prison-like appearance. To counterbalance the potential monotony of the linear design, architectural “gaps” have been introduced—pockets of nature integrated into the built environment that blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces.
On the exterior, the architecture is defined by a gentle simplicity. Materials were chosen for their durability—light-colored concrete, occasional wooden cladding, and aluminum frames.
Inside, efforts are focused on creating a warm, familiar environment that feels more like home. The residential units resemble pavilions. Shared spaces—dining rooms, family lounges—are modestly scaled, warmly decorated, and far removed from a clinical aesthetic. The bedrooms adopt hotel-style design cues, incorporating wood and offering views of the surrounding nature. Retreat spaces throughout the facility allow patients to withdraw from social environments when needed. Natural light is maximized throughout. The layout of the care units around a central garden and the positioning of nursing stations also support a reassuring model of passive surveillance.
At Bohars, psychiatric healthcare architecture is being reimagined. Patient well-being is directly linked to staff working conditions. The flexible configuration of care units—open, closed, or extended—meets modern care needs. Additionally, space has been preserved on the site to allow for future developments.
Project Owner
CHRU de Brest
Project Team
Architect : AIA Architectes – Studio Lorient
Engineering : AIA Ingénierie
Environmental Expertise : AIA Environnement
Project Management : AIA Management
Landscape Design : AIA Territoires
Program
Agora with communal spaces : 531 m²
Medical-administrative zone : 1,148 m²
Public health crisis unit : 338 m²
Residential accommodation : 291 m²
3 adult psychiatry units : 4,695 m²
1 geriatric psychiatry unit : 1,481 m²
1 child & adolescent psychiatry unit : 1,114 m²
Surface Area
Usable area (SU) : 10,485 m²
Total built area (SDO) : 15,727 m²
Cost
€33.7 million (excl. tax)
Timeline
Design competition winner : April 2022
Projected delivery : End of 2027