The Aincourt sanatorium was a health resort specializing in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (phthisis) located in the village of Aincourt (Val-d'Oise department) in France.
The sanatorium, currently located in the French Vexin Regional Nature Park, was built by architects Édouard Crevel and Paul Decaux between 1931 and 1933. It is one of the largest complexes of this category built in the 20th century. It was also a concentration camp between 1940 and 1942.
The building is currently partially occupied by the Vexin intercommunal hospital group. It has been listed as a historic monument since February 1, 1999.
A unique architectural ensemble
Designed to accommodate 150 patients each, three pavilions were built to treat tuberculosis patients from Val d'Oise and also from abroad.
Their architecture is identical and impressive in its proportions. They are three large buildings, 220 meters long and 12 meters wide, comprising three floors of rooms arranged in tiers and a roof terrace. Each level has a continuous treatment terrace divided into compartments with frosted glass screens intended to isolate each room. The terraces, or solariums, are the crucial treatment galleries for the treatment of the disease, as bacillary patients must spend several hours a day on these terraces during the hours of sunshine, breathing pure air and subjected to absolute rest.
This therapeutic specificity and their gigantism give these buildings the appearance of ocean liners set in the middle of a forest. The rooms are served internally by a huge circulation corridor. Two main staircases, built externally, flank each end of the main body. Their rounded cage benefits from natural lighting thanks to a mesh of glass slabs, considerably lightening their external appearance.
The central body is framed by annex buildings which are connected to it by a curved gallery. To the west are the medical services, including an operating theatre and a pneumothorax room, to the east the kitchens, the refectory and the performance hall.
