Story of the Lighthouse hospital

How a hospital became a lighthouse island

Mikko Sinervo, architect of the Reino Koivula Ltd architect group, has created the visual image of the new hospital. His plan started from a story, which he thought of together with Matti Tainio, who is responsible for art acquisitions to the new hospital.

This is a story of an archipelagic scenery where the hospital is an island. A lighthouse illuminates the surroundings from the top of the building. Below the building there is a rolling highway – water flowing incessantly.

There will be a machine room on top of the hospital building and it will cast light to the surroundings.

Cross section of the story

Majakkasairaalan tarina piirroskuvana. — Figure: Mikko Sinervo, ARK Reino Koivula Ltd & Schauman Arkkitehdit Ltd

The story continues – indoors

There is a sensation of marine traffic in the hospital entrance. Planning started with a boat and two light yards, the first one bare, the second one picnicky.

Majakkasairaalan valopihat — Light yard 1 and 2.

Lasten päivystyksen aula ja potilashuone. — Waiting room and patient room.

Animals are part of the story

The visual image of the new hospital is drawn from the nature in our part of the country, Southwest Finland. The archipelago is full of animal life. Visitors are guided by colours and animal figures throughout the building. The visual image of the hospital was conceptualized by Mikko Sinervo, hospital architect.

Each floor has a thematic colour which recurs, e.g., in the colour of signposts and information desks. Each unit has also a dedicated thematic animal. These animals will give visitors of any age something positive to think about. They convey tenderness and sympathy to the hospital atmosphere. You may meet animals out on all kinds of adventures along the walls of the departments.

Majakkasairaalassa seikkailevia eläimiä.

The story of the building continues – outside

The architectural planning of the car park has been inspired by pack ice, so characteristic for the winter in the archipelago. The massive, round driving ramp up to the car park is like cliffs of an island. It takes only very little imagination to see massive pack ice protruding from the façade of the building. As the pack ice collides with the enormous cliffs of the driving ramp, pack ice crumples into enormous blocks along the façade.

Ahtojää-pysäköintitalon julkisivu. — The “pack ice car park” was opened in August 2019.

Art of the Lighthouse hospital

Art in a hospital signifies appreciation of culture. Art improves the quality of hospital experiences. Art consoles. Art awakens the process of thinking and removes you for a moment from the tightly scheduled, often hectic activities of patient care and hospital perplexity.

MCD is a Finnish street art collective founded in 2010 which has produced public pieces or art to various places in Finland and Estonia. There are ten artists in the core of Multicoloured Dreams and, of these, Elissa Eriksson, Satu Kettunen and Hans-Peter Schütt have taken on the main responsibility to create the works of art agreed on to the Tyks Lighthouse hospital.

MCD wants to introduce more art and culture to the Finnish streetscape and to encourage people to make a difference in their own living environment.

The mural will be painted on elevator shafts, on parts of the walls and on the doors of the public wardrobe.

Havainnekuva Multicoloured Dreamsin taideteoksesta. — Conceptual drawing by the Multicoloured Dreams collective on an elevator shaft in the Lighthouse hospital.

Aho is an artist living in Turku. She combines often video imaging with three-dimensional works of art. Her production has been on exhibition in Finnish galleries and in museums abroad. Aho not only works as an independent artist, she is also active in an international art collective called Videokaffe. You will find her previous public work of art “Ancient Battlefields” close to the elevators of the Tyks T-hospital.

There are plans to place a three-dimensional sculpture hanging in the air and this sculpture will be combined with a video projection. The result is a view that changes, for example, by season.

Havainnekuva Heini Ahon taideteoksesta. — Draft video projection by Heini Aho.

Ruohonen, domicile Turku, has a long track record of public art works in Turku. Her work combines three-dimensionality with surface images and with paintings on technical materials. Public art by Ruohonen is on display throughout Finland.

Havainne kuva Elina Ruohosen taideteoksesta. — Conceptual drawing of artwork on wall by Elina Ruohonen.

Mikkilä is embarking on her career as an artist. She graduated from the Saimaa University of Applied Sciences (located in Imatra, South Karelia) in 2016. Her artwork in the Tyks Lighthouse hospital is her first public piece of art. Mikkilä lives and works in the town of Loimaa, Southwest Finland.

Annu Mikkilän taideteos. — Fragment of Anni Mikkilä’s installation.

Vannucchi, who lives in Särkisalo, Southwest Finland, is a photographer and artist, and is also active in the fields of applied arts and community arts. Vannucchi’s production is on display in public spaces in the town of Salo, Southwest Finland.