SPATIAL-FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION OF AUTONOMOUS PALLIATIVE CARE FACILITIES

When formulating the problem, the state of palliative care in Ukraine was analyzed. The actual number of palliative beds varies between 1,247 and 1,500, which is less than half of the minimum level recommended by the WHO (approximately 3,150–4,200). The total annual need for palliative care in the country exceeds 600,000 people (Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 2024). This is a quantitative indicator, while the qualitative indicator is fragmentation, the lack of comprehensive functional and spatial solutions, and the prevalence of secondary use of existing medical buildings that are not adapted to the specific needs of patients. In most cases, palliative care is provided in separate departments of multidisciplinary medical institutions or in temporarily adapted premises, the architectural configuration of which does not provide a clear spatial hierarchy. In such conditions, the formation of autonomous palliative care centers– comprehensive institutions capable of providing not only medical care but also comprehensive support–becomes particularly important. Despite the existence of some positive practices, Ukraine still lacks a clear typology of institutions with appropriate functional content, unified principles of spatial organization for each type, and standardized solutions for each block and their connections. This necessitates architectural research aimed at forming a systematic model of the functional organization of an autonomous palliative care institution that will meet the needs of the target group, ethical principles, and the spatial principles of humane architecture. The issue of the functional organization of palliative care facilities is addressed in a number of international interdisciplinary studies in the fields of architecture, medicine, gerontology, psychology, and health care. Several thematic areas can be traced in scientific literature, each of which forms the theoretical and practical basis for further architectural developments. The issue of the architectural organization of palliative care.