ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the development of the operating theatre, the domain of the surgeon and their skilled team, as a space of primary importance in the modern hospital. The challenge of adequate lighting, both natural and then artificial illumination, dominated the architecture of operating theatres in the first half of the twentieth century, dictating their positions in the plan and volume of the hospital building. The adoption of artificial lighting in the operating room led to design decisions about colour to reduce retinal fatigue. The quest for the ideal operating room led to experimentation with paraboloid, ovoid and lozenge-shaped theatres that separated the surgeon from the observers. The need for hygiene and asepsis encouraged the spatial segregation of the surgical suite, and the provision of air conditioning for the control of airborne particulates, temperature and humidity, the latter principally for reducing the risk of explosion due to the anaesthetic gases in use. The operating theatre was a place where new technology was adopted early, with microphones and television used to transmit operational procedures to audiences kept outside the theatre. For architects, it was the ultimate challenge: to create the complete “well-tempered” surgical environment.
