The Seine Design architects are specialists in floating facilities located, as the name of their office suggests, on the Seine, but in their portfolio, L'Adamant Day Psychiatric Hospital stands out as very unusual. It was opened in the summer of 2010, and last year it was restored: the medical center, like any floating craft, needs regular repairs.
L'Adamant is moored to the east bank of the Seine at the Charles de Gaulle bridge, which connects the large train stations of Lyons and Austerlitz. The customer was the Charenton State Psychiatric Hospital (Eskirol), now part of the Saint-Maurice hospital complex. The task of the day hospital on the water was to minimize the time spent by patients in the walls of conventional hospitals.
On the boat, studios similar to artists' workshops were equipped for various types of therapy, including not only classical psychiatric and psychological assistance, but also special classes in drawing, ceramics, music, etc. Patients are helped to maintain their connection with society and their own independence, but many need to regularly visit L'Adamant for this.
Therefore, making this place pleasant, attractive was very important to the success of this institution. The architects consulted with specialists and “users” of the hospital during the design. The result is an open structure externally and internally: its main tier, stern and bow resemble a huge veranda facing the city and the Seine. Even if it starts to rain, it is not necessary to close the wooden shutters: the authors call their project "meteorological", emphasizing the beauty of any weather and the changes it causes in the river landscape.
Much attention was paid to materials and their texture. They did not hide the metal base of the stationary barge, opening all the seams and technical marks of the welders into the interior. But the main role is played by wood, which creates a light and warm atmosphere, both inside and out.
On 600 m2, there are areas for therapy, meetings and communication, as well as specialist offices.
