Strong team wins bid for new hospital area in Helsingborg, Sweden

In the spring of 2021, the Regional Board of Skåne decided to initiate a detailed planning process regarding the location of a new hospital in Helsingborg. The choice fell on Östra Ramlösa, located about five kilometres from Helsingborg city centre, where the municipality wants to create an attractive, vibrant and sustainable district with a unique character. "We are proud to have been chosen for such a prestigious assignment and look forward to being involved in the development of a project that is part of a wider urban development. Together with all stakeholders, our goal is to jointly develop a concept for the new hospital area," says Mårten Leringe, partner and architect at C.F. Møller Architects.

Sweden's largest hospital project

The assignment includes developing a concept for a new hospital with an estimated size close to 200,000 square meters. If the project comes to fruition, it would be the largest hospital project in Sweden. It is a modern, sustainable, and future-proof hospital area that is being planned. The goal is to design a patient-centric care- and working environment that has the flexibility to grow over time. The new hospital area will include an acute care ward with psychiatry, high-tech care wards, clinics, laboratories, service functions and administration. The project also includes all the necessary infrastructure, above and below ground, as well as parks and nature. "We will use our experience and expertise to create conditions for buildings and care facilities that are suitable for future care needs," says Kerstin Eken from Carlstedt Arkitekter, who is responsible for the architectural assignment, and continues: "In addition, we will ensure optimal conditions for patient care. I look forward to working closely with both Region Skåne and the City of Helsingborg in the design work.”

A broad team with a wide variety of competencies

The team has been selected based on their competencies and understanding of the specific mission, combining strengths in all areas. The team consists of hospital planners and consultants in technical supply, infrastructure, urban planning, and the design of large-scale projects. "Our assignment in the feasibility study is broad and covers all existing engineering disciplines, such as traffic, electric power, geotechnical engineering and hydrogeology, energy systems, plumbing, sustainability, logistics and more. We are proud to take such a multifaceted responsibility and look forward to an exciting collaboration," says Josefin Envall, Head of Unit at Ramboll Hospital Division. The team has collaborated in different constellations on projects before such as Aarhus University Hospital, which has the scale of a small city and is a successful collaboration between C.F. Møller Architects and Ramboll. "It is a great opportunity to be involved in developing blue-green strategies, urban planning and architecture for the healthcare environment of the future in Southern Sweden. The blue-green strategies are of great importance for future healthcare environments partly to create areas that are permeable, peaceful and pleasant to stay in and, last but not least, to protect biodiversity, ecosystems and climate positive solutions. Being involved from the beginning gives us a fantastic starting point," says Karolina Halldin, architect and landscape architect at Krook & Tjäder. Region Skåne's project will take about 11–13 years to complete and will start with a feasibility study that will form the basis for a new detailed plan. The assignment will start in January 2022.