A New Approach to Healthcare!
The new Ambulatory Care Center at Yves Le Foll Hospital in Saint-Brieuc introduces an ambitious medical project within a brand-new building, allowing the hospital to enhance its healthcare offerings. The focus is on more patient-centered care, where individuals are actively involved in managing their health.
The architectural design follows a key principle: clarity of services and patient autonomy. The goal was to bring together short-stay ambulatory and consultation activities, previously scattered across the hospital, by constructing a new building and reorganizing existing wings (G, E, and F) on the ground and first floors.
This occupied-site project required several intervention phases :
Phase 0 – Preparatory Work : demolition of the concrete canopy at the entrance plaza, removal of the access porch that housed the pain management and palliative care units Phase 1 – Extension : construction of an ambulatory care center on the existing hospital forecourt, 5,846 m², housing : Lower ground floor : staff cafeteria, satellite kitchen, and technical rooms.Upper ground floor : main reception (welcome desk, waiting areas, admissions, cafeteria, shops, and prevention spaces), consultations, and functional explorations.First floor : day hospital for internal medicine (25 beds), day hospital for oncology (25 beds), meeting room for cross-disciplinary activities.
Phase 1 – Restructuring Cocoon Bridge : extension within an inner courtyard to house the ambulatory surgery unit, directly connected to the operating theater + Phases 2-3 – Consultation Restructuring : reconfiguration of existing wings on the upper ground and first floors 4 283 m² : upper ground floor / First floor: Consultations & Functional Explorations, first floor ambulatory surgery day hospital, ambulatory internal medicine day hospital, common areas.
A Patient-Centered Journey
Upon arrival, patients are welcomed in the central hall, the heart of the project, flooded with natural light. This space provides clarity and comfort, offering dining areas, waiting zones, and spaces for information and therapeutic education.
Inner courtyards—designed as indoor gardens—bring a constant flow of natural light into both treatment areas and communal spaces. Large glass surfaces create a visual connection between interior and exterior, making navigation intuitive and movement effortless.
A Distinctive Architectural Identity
Located at the site of the former drop-off zone, the new building seamlessly integrates with the existing hospital structure. Its metal mesh façade strikes a balance between transparency and elegance. While the transparent base welcomes visitors inside, the upper section (first floor on the west side and both ground and first floors on the south side) is clad with this mesh, ensuring privacy for patient rooms while maintaining views and natural light intake.
In a predominantly mineral setting, the new design reintroduces greenery through thoughtful landscaping. To the east, a tree-lined pedestrian pathway guides visitors toward the main entrance, to the south, the hospital restaurant garden is arranged in terraced steps, creating a warm outdoor space for staff, while allowing sunlight to penetrate the area, the green roof terrace serves as a “fifth façade,” offering a pleasant view from the surrounding hospital buildings.
A Project Open to the City, at the urban scale, the project enhances hospital access by : creating a new roundabout at the main entrance, revitalizing the entry promenade along Rue du Vau Louis, establishing the “Hospital Gateway”, symbolizing an open and welcoming connection to the city.
Project Details
Centre Hospitalier Saint-Brieuc
Design Team :
Lead Architect : AIA Architectes
Engineering & Cost Management : AIA Ingénierie
Project Management & Coordination : AIA Management
Scope :
Ambulatory care center, day hospital, consultations, functional explorations, lobby redesign, general services, and cross-disciplinary activities.
Total Area :
New construction : 1,998 m², renovation : 4,283 m²
Cost :
€21.3 million (excl. tax)
Timeline :
Phase 1 : February 2021
Phases 2 & 3 : October & December 2021
Phase 3 Completion : November 2022
Photos : © Guillaume Satre