When it was decided that Southwest Jutland Hospital should be a regional emergency hospital, a public procurement procedure was launched to design a new ward building, which was to be physically and architecturally linked to the rest of the complex. The project optimises healthcare provision in the region and addresses public expectations for a modern and contemporary hospital. The facade of the new extension expresses a visual and architectural connection to the hospital as a whole while also standing out as a striking and attractive addition to it.
The new ward building is on six floors, with an auditorium, reception area, admissions and staff rooms on the ground floor. The five upper floors house 158 single patient rooms, offering a number of benefits to both patients and staff, along with better provision for their families and friends both for short visits and overnight stays.
Visitors are greeted with welcoming soft shapes and warm materials
Even before entering the hospital and the ward building, visitors are greeted with welcoming soft shapes and warm materials, which run through the whole of the ward building and form a physically integrated wayfinding system. By following the central axis, people will always come to a place where they can find information and ask for help in finding their way. This provides a reassuring experience, which is important when people first come to the hospital.
The wards are laid out in wings with 16 patient rooms each, 32 beds to a floor, with centrally located support functions to minimise distances. Each floor has a light and open central arrival court with public areas and a visual connection to the surroundings.
Social sustainability has been incorporated into the whole design of the project, with attention given to the well-being of patients, visitors and staff as a key element of the project. The central arrival courts and double-height conservatories attached to each ward floor create informal meeting places and activity areas for both patients and their relatives.
The hospital moves away from the traditional clinical atmosphere with a deliberately non-institutional look in the design and expression, using wood, colours and integrated art to create a health-promoting environment where the experience of being in the hospital will feel secure and comforting.
The building was constructed in close collaboration with the client, as the existing hospital was in full operation throughout the implementation period, with the building process planned around the interests of patients, relatives and staff. There was also extensive user involvement from the hospital staff in the development phase.
