Breath Well is an adaptive reuse project that transforms an existing mixed-use building into a contemporary multispecialty hospital. Originally designed as a residential and commercial development, the building has been comprehensively reconfigured to accommodate the functional and technical demands of modern healthcare. Instead of replacing the structure, the project retains the existing structural framework and introduces targeted structural interventions wherever necessary to support new clinical spaces, building services, and circulation systems. This approach preserves embodied resources while demonstrating how existing buildings can be successfully adapted to serve evolving urban needs.
Editor’s Note: Some buildings are not replaced when their purpose changes. They are reimagined to meet the needs of a different time. Breath Well reflects this approach by transforming an existing structure into a contemporary healthcare environment without losing sight of the value already embedded within it. Through adaptive reuse, climate-responsive design, and a thoughtful balance of functionality and comfort, the project challenges the conventional idea of hospitals as purely clinical spaces. The result is a place where architecture supports healing not only through medical care, but through light, materiality, and a sense of calm that begins the moment one enters. ~ Yashika Bajaniya
Modern Healthcare Sits Inside This Building With a Geometric Facade | Aakar Group of Consultancy
The design is guided by the idea of layering, where structural modification, interior planning, and a responsive façade work together to establish a new architectural identity for the modern healthcare building. Rather than treating the existing building as a constraint, the project views it as the foundation for transformation.
Structural alterations were carefully integrated to accommodate larger treatment areas, revised floor layouts, and modern healthcare infrastructure while maintaining the integrity of the original building. The interior planning is driven by efficiency, clarity, and user experience.
Existing floor plates were reorganized into a clear hierarchy of public, semi-private, and restricted clinical zones, ensuring smooth movement for patients, visitors, medical staff, and service personnel. Separate circulation routes reduce unnecessary cross-movement and improve operational efficiency, while intuitive planning enhances wayfinding throughout the hospital.
The architects strategically positioned patient wards, consultation rooms, diagnostic departments, nurse stations, and support facilities to create a functional environment that supports both healthcare delivery and day-to-day operations. The project also challenges the conventional perception of hospital interiors as purely clinical environments.
Instead, the design seeks to create spaces that promote comfort, familiarity, and emotional well-being. Warm timber-finish wall panels, soft neutral colours, integrated furniture, and carefully proportioned spaces contribute to a calm and welcoming atmosphere.
Clean detailing, concealed services, and durable materials ensure high standards of hygiene while maintaining a refined architectural language. The architects maximized natural daylight throughout the building, reducing dependence on artificial lighting and creating brighter, healthier interior environments.
A defining feature of the project is the introduction of a new secondary façade that completely redefines the building’s visual identity. Designed as a perforated metal screen composed of repetitive folded-plate modules, the façade wraps theexisting structure to create depth, rhythm, and a contemporary architectural expression. Rather than concealing the original building, the new envelope establishes a dialogue between the existing structure and the intervention, giving the hospital a distinct civic presence.
Beyond aesthetics, the façade performs as a responsive environmental system. It functions as an external shading device that minimizes solar heat gain and glare while allowing diffused natural light to enter interior spaces.
The perforated surface provides visual privacy for patient areas without obstructing views or ventilation. A ventilated cavity between the original façade and the secondary skin improves thermal performance by encouraging passive airflow around thebuilding envelope. Throughout the day, changing patterns of light and shadow animate the façade, creating a subtle yet dynamic visual character. The architects embedded sustainability in the project’s design strategy.
By adapting an existing structure rather than constructing a new one, the intervention significantly reduces material consumption. It also reduces construction waste, and embodied carbon. The project demonstrates that adaptive reuse can extend the life of existing buildings while meeting contemporary healthcare standards. The architects maintained this through thoughtful planning, structural precision, and climate-responsive design.
Breath Well reimagines healthcare architecture as more than a functional requirement. It presents a hospital that balances operational efficiency with human comfort. Here, architecture actively contributes to healing through light, materiality, spatial clarity, and environmental performance. The project illustrates how adaptive reuse can generate meaningful transformation. It creates a resilient and contemporary healthcare environment while preserving the value of the existing built fabric.
Fact File
Designed by: Aakar Group of Consultancy
Project Type: Adaptive Reuse | Multispecialty Healthcare Facility
Project Name: Breath Well – Adaptive Reuse Hospital
Location: Sangli, Maharashtra, India
Plot Area: 5,000 sq.ft.
Built-up Area: 16500 sq.ft.
Principal Architects: Ar. Milind M. Kulkarni & Ar. Mrudul M. Kulkarni
Project Team: Ar. Milind Kulkarni, Ar.Mrunal Kulkarni, Ar.Amit Mankapure, ID.Viresh Borgi
Graphics: Ar. Krutika Patange
Photograph Courtesy: Aditya Mane
Firm’s Instagram Link: Aakar Group of Consultancy
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