Seeds of Innocence, New Delhi – Studio An-V-Thot

“They say that you cannot create something out of nothing. But you can create something that matters more than anything else. Something that brings purpose to life. Something with the ability to feel emotions. Pain as well as happiness, the latter of which I will do my utmost to bring to this person.”

~ Anonymous

“Parent Every time a child is born, the world is renewed in innocence.”

~ Boyd K. Packer

To think as a pregnant woman, was the design brief from Dr. Gauri Aggarwal (Gynecologist & IVF Specialist) when she first met us with the requirements of her dream project; “Seeds of Innocence: An IVF & Surrogacy Centre”. The mood swings, anxiety and increased irritability of a pregnant woman or a childless couple could be forgotten as soon as one enters into the positive & cheerful environment of the clinic, was the main concern while designing. The Fertility Clinic which was inaugurated by Honorable Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has been developed in collaboration with Dr. Petra De Sutter from University Hospital of Gent, Belgium keeping the ICMR regulations in check.

Standing on one of the prime location of South Delhi, the building has been designed with the intention of leaving an impact on everybody’s mind who-so-ever crosses the road. The upper floors have stark Marsala colored lacquered panels with the reflection of moving sky all day long which creates a magnificent playfulness along with the backlit perforated box in the center clad with ACP sheet making the structure dynamic in appearance. The perforated ACP sheets have been used to create an enclosure around the lacquered box to demarcate & define the critical zones with the other areas. The Mezzanine floor has a complete glazing which divides the building into two, separating the upper floors from the Ground floor.

The Fertility Clinic houses 5 OPD chambers, an ultrasound room, injection room, a counselling area, sample collection room, lavatories, billing section, reception & waiting on the Basement Floor. On the Ground we have 50% of the carpet area with us utilized by the pharmacy & a cafe, remaining half of the portion has been sublet to a spa-salon. With 50% of floor space with us on the Mezzanine the NICU & labor room has been planned on it. The patient rooms are on the First Floor along with the Changing Rooms, Scrub, OT & a Pre-Post Operation Room for 2 beds. The IVF Floor which is the Second Floor has Changing Rooms, Scrub, an IVF OT adjoining the IVF Lab, Andrology Lab, Technician’s Lounge, Cylinder Store, the sensuous Semen Collection Room, a doctor’s room, Waiting area & the Pre-Post Operation Room for 6 beds. The top most floor has open terrace on the rear end of the building with Yoga Room & Account’s Office in the front.

As one enters the building the embossed floral pattern on wall & ceiling welcomes you to the building. Upon reaching the basement the first thing which attracts the person is the Reception with custom designed table supported by the vintage wrought iron partition on both the sides with the Marsala colored lacquered panel clad on the wall at the backdrop which invokes a sense of impenetrable liveliness. The Waiting at the back has a very interesting setup of couches & undulating fixed seats with geometric shaped center tables in cluster pattern. Marsala has been chosen for the reason of its resemblance to the color of blood, new life, new beginning. Contrary to the exteriors less of the bright Marsala has been used, instead the whole setup has hues & tints of neutral shades of Greys, Beiges & Off-whites with a patch of Marsala to break the mundaneness.

After a lot of spatial explorations and trying various permutations for relationship between spaces the basement level was evolved as a series of aligned spaces to avoid the rabbit-warren type configurational arrangement of consultancy rooms on one side and administrative section on the other side. The OPD chambers have been placed all along the exterior wall of the rear portion of the block creating a huge central open space in the center. The counselling room sits in the center with a continuous passage on 3 sides to access the OPDs. It is an enclosed glass room screened partially by laser cut MDF panels placed in a rhythmic organic form providing transparency and privacy at the same time. It acts as a focal point with alternate horizontal 35 mm thick MDF board member & a gap of 2 inches till the top with varying sizes creating an undulating free flowing curves on all the sides. The ceiling of the whole area has been kept simple with checkered pattern with alternating different shades of Greys, Beiges & Off-whites. The counselling area has an informal seating where the couple can relax & chit-chat with the doctors to understand the whole procedure of IVF, surrogacy or Fertility issues. The OPD chamber has a very simple backlit laser cut MDF sheet as supports for the doctor’s table with an 8 mm thick toughened glass on top. A dedicated panel for hanging the certificates & licenses has been made on the back wall in Marsala color with coves on both the sides.

As we climb up to the ground & the mezzanine floors, the nature cheers us. The NICU on the mezzanine has big glass panels which overlooks to the dense greenery outside. The small colorful beds of the new born have wallpapers on the remaining walls & ceiling with geometric shapes, fishes & figurines printed on it.

The patient’s room has been developed keeping the bright color only on fabrics and neutral shades on fixed panels & fixtures so that one does not get bored of the whole setup. The grooves have been made on the back wall which turns on to the ceiling to give an effect of a larger space than actual. The attendant’s couch is also been changed from a typical convertible bed to a fixed low height running seating along the window wall. The corridor accessing the rooms has checkered pattern on all 3 sides & a horizontal stripe of Marsala all along.

The Nursing Station at the end of the corridor feels divine with the light coming through the perforated MDF sheet at the back. OT can be accessed through the sterile zone with change room & scrub in the front.

The Pre-Post Operation Room on the second floor has a bright & lively graphic design of a teeny-tiny cute baby on one of the wall which adds life to the whole space. Apart from the IVF lab & OT setup is an interesting dim lit, sensuous Semen Collection Room with a fixed, comfy leathered upholstered bed & head board which turns on to become the ceiling panel jeweled with the Moroccan hanging lights in the corner.

The terrace area caters to the recreational needs of the patients by providing yoga rooms and other facilities along with the building services present at other part of the floor.

An effort to balance the clinical demands of the healthcare institution and a humane architecture by evolving a concept which communicated a fresh vocabulary towards developing the image of the hospital, as a stereotypical conventional building that houses sick patients; to a space delivering an integrated arena combining healthcare with comfort, positive ambience and liveliness, which is an essential factor in making the couples feel comfortable. The building stands tall in embracing the tenets of contemporary architecture; thus successfully redefining the setup of a small scale healthcare setup with an innocence in design.

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