Pooling hospital building expertise for a successful outcome: VAMED Germany and its design partners ATP architects engineers and Baumschlager Eberle Architekten have been commissioned by the District of Waldshut with the general planning of the new Zentralklinikum Hochrhein. The exemplary hospital building with around 360 beds should be completed in Albbruck by 2029 – as the centerpiece of the health park of the same name that is being realized simultaneously as a separate project.
Concept: “Healing Environment”
A hospital should be a place with its own identity in which both staff and patients feel at home. The urban concept makes a major contribution to this: located in the Black Forest on the banks of the Rhine and surrounded by fields and wooded hills, the new building, which consists of three higher and three lower volumes, feels like a small town that is gently embedded in the health park. The higher volumes appear to be stronger and more solid, while the lower ones have a more powerful relationship with the landscape, partly due to their green façades; in addition to these different heights, a series of setbacks and projections further enhances this relaxed appearance. The examination and treatment areas are located on the lower levels and the nursing areas on the three higher floors. The staggering of the wards improves privacy and opens up more views into the landscape and, hence, enhances the healing environment. Although the six objects appear independent they are perfectly connected internally and function optimally together. The sophisticated treatment of the solid, stone façades underlines the urban principle. The design of the external spaces also reflects the hospital concept and its complete focus on the needs of people: alongside the urban plaza at the main entrance to the hospital, an intensely natural garden invites patients to linger awhile, relax, and recover.
Forward-looking and environmentally friendly
The building concept, which is forward-looking in terms of both energy and building physics meets the latest climate and sustainability objectives and climate-friendly materials were selected from the very earliest design phase. The highly-efficient and optimally insulated building envelope not only reduces heat loss in winter, but also, thanks to its measured use of areas of glazing, effective shading measures, and green roofs, counters overheating in summer and avoids the creation of the heat islands that could be negative for the surrounding area. A rigorous load management system means that much of the energy required by the hospital for its sophisticated equipment, sterilization processes, hot and cold water, kitchens, heating, and cooling is provided in situ in an environmentally friendly manner by photovoltaic modules and a heat pump. Hence, very little fossil energy is consumed. The building’s extensive use of heat recovery and reuse of the relatively large amount of exhaust heat is equally important. Overall, annual primary energy demand and CO2 emissions are well below the legal limit, as a result of which the new building represents an important milestone on the road to climate neutrality. Last but not least, the flexibility of the complex underlines the basic idea of a forward-looking hospital: The project is laid out in such a way that this successful system can be expanded with ease.
Quotes
“I’m delighted that the District of Waldshut is trusting us to design and then – as long as the District Parliament agrees – build the new Klinikum Hochrhein. The signature of the contract means that all the requirements have been met for us to start the detailed design. Together, we will fill this partnering process with life.” – Dr. Christian Schneider, Managing Director, VAMED
“The new clinic puts the focus on patients, while its well-thought-out functionality, environmentally-friendly materials, and energy-efficient building services ensure sustainable top-quality health care – a milestone for the health system in the region.” – Tobias Schwarz, Managing Director, ATP Nuremberg
“The hospital is a perfectly functioning system; and the urban planning concept makes a major contribution to an atmosphere in which people will enjoy a sense of well-being.” – Hugo Herrera Pianno, Head of Design, Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
Team:
Architects: ATP architects engineers & Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
Full-service provider: VAMED
