Buscando arquitecturas para una ciudad saludable. El caso del sanatorio escalonado en los años veinte

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, some doctors and architects focussed their efforts on finding solutions to improve the serious problems of overcrowding and unhealthy living conditions in the industrial cities. For this purpose, they promoted a healthier urban environment and suggested different changes in the architectural design that could define the inner and urban space. To achieve this, one of the most widespread models in the 1920s was the stepped-back architecture. However, despite its importance, few studies have examined the circumstances that made this model an architectural reference for a healthier city and the role-played by certain hospital architecture in promoting those changes. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyse one of the most outstanding architectural models in this transition: the stepped sanatorium.