The Institute for Genetic Diseases Imagine is located in the historic center of the city, on Boulevard Montparnasse. It is part of the Necker Hospital complex. Its new building combines rooms where specialists receive young patients (the institute is designed to provide medical assistance to children) and research laboratories.
The architects proposed an alternative to the typical hospital building - a huge building with endless corridors, where everything is subject to considerations of pragmatism. Of course, they did not forget about functionality, but they tried to create a more lively, interesting and hospitable image than that of an average hospital.
The facades are covered with a pattern inspired by the structure of cells: it was designed by Atelier Hiroshi Maeda. According to the authors of the project, it gives the building a “poetic dimension”. The interior is dominated by a sun-filled atrium with a garden on the ground floor. The galleries around it provide a convenient connection between the tiers of examination rooms and laboratories. Convenient areas for casual meetings and communication of employees are also provided, which should increase their productivity. At the very top there is a conference room with a panoramic view of Paris, and on the roof there is a terrace.
