Client
Nordland Hospital Trust HF
Discipline
Project group manager (PGL), architect, interior designer, responsible SØK
The new Nordland Hospital – a sustainable transformation
When RATIO architects were commissioned for the project in 2002, the hospital was impractical and outdated. Treatment and wards were scattered without any clear structure, and it was difficult for patients, families and employees to navigate the hospital facilities. The logistics was also impractical, and there was no clear separation of traffic between bed transport and goods transport. A vital initiative of the project was therefore to base the organising of the hospital on the needs of patients and employees, with a new and clearer building structure.
The Nordland Hospital comprises remodelling and new build areas of a total of about 75,000 m², with a capacity of more than 300 beds. Openness, good contact with the surroundings and simple geometry were the main focus of the layout of the new hospital – consisting of a new laboratory building and treatment building, as well as extension and rehabilitation of the existing building stock. An overall goal of the project was to establish an easily understandable logic, both externally and internally, easily navigable for patients, visitors and employees. At the same time, the existing building stock of the hospital was to be reused and transformed while the hospital remained operative throughout the construction period. The demolition and construction works have therefore been particularly challenging and affected the execution time.
By placing a new building at the "heart" of the hospital, between the older wing in the south and the high rise in the north, it was possible to establish a clear north-south-oriented access axis. An east-west-oriented glass passage perpendicular to the access axis binds the existing buildings and new buildings together. The beautifully proportioned natural stone facade of the older buildings is integrated in the glass passage and clarify the east-west-orientation. Where the two axes meet, an interior square is formed, open in floor floors, with an information desk, cafeteria, commercial area and pharmacy. Green areas are established towards the traffic axes, a southward park east of the main entrance and a hospital garden, where outdoor dining is possible northwest of the access square. All patient related functions are placed inside towards the two main axes, with the squares and the glass passage as unique and guiding rooms. Here, patients and visitors will find front desks and waiting areas for outpatient clinics and day treatment. The associated wards are placed on the corresponding floor in the high rise. This gives short distances, good provision for universal design, visibility and better contact between employees.
Continuation of material use with granite facades, drawing lines back to the origins of the hospital and conscious use of colours and materials in front desks and waiting areas, provide identity and ties the building together aesthetically. An important part of this whole is also the hospital's natural orientation towards the surroundings, at the main entrance, the vestibule and the two parks. This is further reinforced through the art project titled "The Art of Transformation", inspired by the physical transformation of the hospital facilities from many sub-elements to a new, holistic facility, and the transformation the patient experiences through treatment. The colours, light and dimensions of the art objects create joy and identification for everyone at the new hospital.
Building stage 1
Executed 2006: about 8,000 m2 newbuilds and 2,000 m2 remodelling
Building stage 2
Phase 1 executed 2012: 1,500 m2 newbuilds and 1,500 m2 remodelling
Phase 2 executed 2016: about 24,000 m2 newbuilds/ about 9,000 m2 rehabilitation
Phase 3 executed 2020: about 4,000 m2 newbuilds/ about 22,000 m2 rehabilitation
Total 72.000 m2 BTA
