As part of the long-term transformation of Switzerland’s largest nonuniversity hospital, Fawad Kazi has been leading the redesign of the Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen since 2011. Building 10, completed in 2018, marks the first major milestone in the process—an anchor for a new health-care campus focused on patients, people, and processes.
Address/Directions
Kantonspital Sankt Gallen
Rorschacher Str. 95
9007 St. Gallen
Directions
“Due to its scale, the hospital campus is almost a city in itself. It presents challenges not only in architecture, but also in urban planning and operations.”
The redevelopment turns a fragmented ensemble into a coherent system. Inspired by the historic St. Gallen monastery complex, the master plan creates an interconnected fabric of paths, plazas, and green spaces. Building 10 forms the heart of the complex: a six-story structure that consolidates outpatient clinics and replaces three older buildings as well as the emergency power facility.
Facing the street, a 51-meter bridge links the new building to the existing ones, providing separate pathways for pedestrians and logistics. The entrance is deliberately understated: a sheltered forecourt leads to a double-height foyer finished in terrazzo and raw concrete. Wood-clad counters and bold accent furniture lend warmth and orientation.
A clear 8.1 × 8.1 meter structural grid allows for future adaptability, while horizontal and vertical lines articulate the façade in a play of light and shadow. The bronze-toned aluminum cladding references existing hospital buildings, giving the new volume both distinctiveness and continuity. Materials and finishes throughout—smooth terrazzo, perforated acoustic panels, recessed lighting—create a calm, welcoming atmosphere.
Each floor hosts a different program: waiting areas, examination zones, treatment rooms, and open workspaces. Pops of color—red couches in clinics, orange seating in offices—bring visual rhythm without disrupting the architectural restraint. Flexibility and clarity define both the plan and the experience.
Fawad Kazi designed the FSB 1254 model himself—a lever that translates his architectural language into an object of daily use. The design reduces the handle to its essential geometry: a dialogue between circle and square, clarity and tactility.
Made of aluminum, the handle is used throughout the hospital in multiple variants, including the return-style FSB 1255 and the matching FSB 3454 window handle. In a building focused on care, functionality, and precision, the handle becomes a fitting detail—quiet, efficient, and enduring.
