HOSPITAL [ITY]
Project Description
In her master’s thesis, HOSPITAL[ITY], Milena Hög, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, addresses one of the key urban planning challenges facing the city of Memmingen: the future use of the former hospital site following the hospital’s relocation. Her design demonstrates how the existing site can be transformed into a diverse, socially mixed, and sustainable residential neighborhood through infill development rather than demolition. The thesis integrates architectural, social, and climate policy considerations into a holistic vision for the site’s future.
The project was supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Irmler.
The design also garnered significant attention beyond the university context. For example, the project was featured in a television segment on allgäu.tv and discussed with representatives of the city of Memmingen. In addition, the project was included in the 2026 Newcomer Shortlist for the Erich Mendelsohn Prize for Brick Architecture, making it one of the twenty selected emerging projects in the competition.
The key elements of the master’s thesis are presented below. They demonstrate how the former hospital complex can be redeveloped into an open space for living, community, education, and healthcare, and how the existing structure can be utilized as a valuable resource for sustainable urban development.
With the relocation of the Memmingen Hospital to a new site outside the city center, the downtown complex on Bismarckstraße will cease to function as a medical facility by 2029. The complex covers approximately 43,700 m² and sequesters 10,248,455 kg of CO₂ equivalents, representing significant potential for sustainable reuse through adaptive reuse rather than demolition.
Urban Planning Measures
The complex is located between Memmingen’s Old Town, the western sports facilities, and the neighboring vocational schools. Despite this central location, the site has thus far had little connection to its urban surroundings: a single main entrance on Bismarckstraße that does not create a welcoming atmosphere in the public space. The design conceives of the complex as a new hub within existing circulation networks. Through strategically placed openings and passageways, the site is integrated into the urban fabric as a connecting element. The “Green Cradle” opens up the interlocking building complex as a green connecting space along the axis between the Old Town, sports facilities, and vocational schools.
The single-function entrance area is replaced by a system of access clusters that define varying degrees of public space as gathering areas: a public zone along Bismarckstraße and graduated, semi-private transitions to the adjacent residential development.
Division of Responsibilities: A Host for the City of Memmingen
Under the title “Hospitality,” the former hospital is being transformed into an open, vibrant, mixed-use residential neighborhood. The design draws on the original concept of the historic hospital as a place of care, community, and support, and translates it into a contemporary vision.
The ground-floor areas open up to the city and are brought to life with publicly accessible amenities: restaurants, event spaces, and small-scale retail create a pleasant environment for people to spend time and strengthen the connection to the urban space. This offering is complemented by educational and healthcare facilities: seminar and classroom spaces, doctors’ offices, and a pharmacy.
The upper floors accommodate a diverse range of housing options that can be flexibly adapted as needed: in addition to housing for vocational students and micro-apartments, there are also larger units for various household types as well as communal models such as cluster living. Age-appropriate housing options—ranging from independent living for seniors to dementia-friendly living concepts—round out the offerings.
Due to its radial layout, the building, which was constructed in 1989, is particularly well-suited for dementia-friendly and assisted living, as this layout promotes both cognitive activity and spatial orientation among residents.
Design, gray energy, and energy retrofitting
The complex, which was expanded in 18 construction phases between 1955 and 2016, combines different structural systems: The original buildings from the 1950s through the 1970s were primarily constructed using monolithic bulkhead construction; the tallest structure, built in 1970 (approx. 25 m), features a reinforced concrete skeleton, while the other components are column-and-slab constructions. The apartment floor plans are designed to accommodate the existing structural systems, so that virtually no alterations to the load-bearing structure are required.
In addition, the facades are being renovated to make them more visually engaging within the cityscape while also bringing them up to current energy efficiency standards. The renovation is being carried out using prefabricated wood-frame construction elements.
Existing components such as windows, blinds, metal facade elements, and bricks are being reused and integrated into the new facade envelope, particularly in transitional areas such as studios, workshops, and common rooms.
As part of the HOSPITAL[ITY] transformation project, preserving the existing structure and reusing building components and materials will prevent emissions of approximately 7,659,052 kg CO₂-eq. from manufacturing and disposal—approximately 75% of the total energy stored in the existing structure, which would have been generated again if the building had been completely rebuilt.
The architectural language draws on elements of postmodernism and deliberately contrasts with the functionalist modernism from which the hospital originally emerged. Monumental geometries and carefully placed openings—such as round windows—lend the architecture a new spatial presence, significance, and light. The goal is to dispel the emotional burden of the former clinic and fundamentally reframe the perception of the building.
In addition, the monumental forms mark access points, entrances, and communal areas, enhancing the complex’s spatial clarity. Chestnut red, a symbolic color for public and communal spaces, deliberately references the clinker brick facade of the original 1955 building.
A New Identity and Direction
The architectural language draws on elements of postmodernism and deliberately contrasts with the functionalist modernism from which the hospital originally emerged. Monumental geometric forms and carefully placed openings—such as round windows—lend the architecture a new spatial presence, significance, and light. The goal is to dispel the emotional burden of the former clinic and fundamentally reframe the perception of the building.
In addition, the monumental forms mark access points, entrances, and communal areas, enhancing the complex’s spatial clarity. Chestnut red, a symbolic color for public and communal spaces, deliberately references the clinker brick facade of the original 1955 building.
The varying degrees of privacy and public space are also reflected in the interior design concept: experimentally developed recycled terrazzo floors made from broken bricks, glass, ceramics from former sanitary fixtures, and existing tiles symbolize this gradient of public space. The high-contrast brick-red tones of the terrazzo in activity and communal areas contrast with calmer color combinations in quiet zones.
Walls made of recycled mortar and clay create a diverse range of tactile materials that simultaneously provide orientation—especially in the dementia care areas—and foster a sense of atmosphere.
