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 The new Alexandra Hospital (AH), coming up in Yishun by 2009, aims to be a hassle-free hospital that is truly centred on the needs of patients.
To turn this into concrete reality, AH invited members of the public to view and give their feedback on four shortlisted design models, before the final design was selected on 4 May.
The models made its first public appearance on the actual hospital site on March 21. They were then displayed at the neighbouring Yishun Polyclinic on March 21-25, and made a detour to a community event at Chong Pang on April 9 before its final stop at the AH's main lobby till today. 
This is the first time that a health institution in Singapore has engaged the public in its building project.
Spanning over 3.5 hectares, the 450-bed hospital in Yishun Central will offer a full range of comprehensive healthcare services for residents living in the north.
Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs and MP for Nee Soon East, said at the public unveiling of the four shortlisted designs: "The public viewing signifies the hospital's commitment in making AH @ Yishun a people's hospital."
AH's CEO Liak Teng Lit, who hopes to "excite" residents in the project, said that "feedback from the public has given us a totally different perspective of the project and will help us design a hospital that is truly for the patients."
Mr Shiva Banerjee, an Yishun resident, was one of those who turned up to view the shortlisted designs. He said that looking at the design models has allayed some of his worries over traffic woes when the hospital is built, but was concerned about the possible pollution to the hospital from the adjacent Yishun Pond. He added: "Any opportunity to give feedback before a job is completed is always excellent."
The feedback gathered was submitted to the design teams to finetune their masterplans. In the end, after a stringent and meticulous selection process, New York-based design consultant Hillier Worldwide Architecture, together with local firm CPG, was awarded the project to build AH @ Yishun.
Winning suggestions
Beaming winners (from left) Mr Amos Lum, Mr Noorahman bin Sng'ati and Mr Philip Chan. The three were presented tokens of appreciation from Alexandra Hospital for submitting thoughtful suggestions for AH @ Yishun. Mr Lum asked for more rest areas and a garden at every level, while Mr Chan appealed for the use of good lighting fixtures to prevent light pollution. Mr Noorahman, whose wife is wheelchair-bound, highlighted the need for unisex toilets for the handicapped that are accessible to people tending to their spouses.
Getting feedback from our friends
Before the shortlisted designs of AH @ Yishun were unveiled to the public, Alexandra Hospital had invited a group of 12 Yishun grassroots leaders and members of the public to view and give their feedback on the four designs on 1 March 2006.
A second feedback session was held for the media and corporate friends on March 10.
The groups were briefed by AH administrators on the designs, and voiced their concerns on a wide range of topics. These included broader issues like the building's aesthetics to practical concerns like ventilation, traffic flow, and wheelchair access.
Participants also penned down their comments on the merits and limitations of each design. These comments were given to the design teams to further refine their masterplans.
One of the public suggestors, student Azizul Rahmat, 20, says: "I'm proud to be part of this process, as some of my ideas may be used. After all, the community is the one using the facilities, and it is important that the hospital caters to them."
Nee Soon Central grassroots leader Phua Tan Tee commented that the hospital, besides being easily accessible, should also project a feeling of space and should make good use of the pond and greenery around it so that "patients won't feel that they are in a hospital".
For Ms Karen Lim, a museum assistant director who also gave her views as a member of the public, AH should aspire to be a new-generation hospital, offering a holistic spa-like environment not just for the sick but also the healthy.
"The designs are wonderfully done, but we should also retain something about the present AH in the new building, whether the architectural style or its reputation as a "hospital in a garden". There should be some flow and continuity into Yishun so that we can see something that is uniquely AH."
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