The one of a kind new Northzealand hospital in Hillerød, Denmark seeks to reinvent hospital designs for the future. Following a 12-month intensive international design competition, the Architectural consortium of Herzog & de Meuron/Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter was awarded the contract, with Ramboll named as the engineering consultant, providing a full range of engineering services.
Setting a blueprint for future hospitals, the design focusses on patient wellbeing to aid quicker recovery, with a structure that maximises interaction with nature and innovative services such circadian lighting that plays an important part in human health and wellbeing. The hospital also aims to be the most digitally enabled project in Denmark with automated systems to maximise hospital efficiency so healthcare workers have more time to spend with patients and is highly sustainable with its low energy design. Using viewing software, a digital twin of the building has been created, enabling the client to virtually walk around the building and its departments. It is an exemplar project that is already winning awards.
The new Northzealand hospital will be the result of consolidating the three existing hospitals across the North Zealand region and is part of Denmark’s healthcare consolidation programme. It will extend over 115,000 sqm, serve more than 310,000 people and include over 580 single bed wards. The bottom 2 storeys of the building comprise diagnosis and treatment facilities with the top two storeys comprising a ribbon of wards surrounding a roof garden.
Ramboll has worked closely with the client to develop the functional and engineering design specification and supported them with the preparations for contractor appointment. We’ve led and planned the coordination with all stakeholders. Using BIM360 in a live environment, we’ve managed the design programme efficiently across disciplines, businesses and countries, bringing the best talent to the project from across the world.
An award-winning unique hospital design that focuses on patient recovery
Envisioned as a pavilion set within the forest, the design brings together all the hospital’s necessary functions within one clover-shaped structure. Unlike many large-scale hospitals, the inviting and welcoming facility maintains a human scale throughout, arranged around an expansive and secure roof garden. This provides an opportunity for patient rehabilitation and a direct connection to the landscape.
The internal environment has been carefully planned to support patient health and wellbeing. The cutting-edge lighting design includes “dark light” technology light fittings, and circadian lighting that adapts the colour temperature to a 24-hour human physiological response.
To meet the site constraints and design requirements, the building is highly engineered and specified. Its innovative structural frame solution resolves the complex building geometry and provides a highly water proof basement, flexible treatment floors to allow for future changes in function and lightweight bed wards to accelerate the construction programme.
The new Northzealand hospital has already been awarded the Future Mega-Project of the Year at MIPIM.
Integrated logistics and automation systems
Our in-house logistics team worked with the client to assess the logistics needs of the hospital and then subsequently with the architect and the engineering team to embed automation into the building. Ramboll’s in-house team of automated vehicle specialists also worked with the client to design automated systems that will integrate into the building to support the efficient running of the hospital. The systems include automated goods vehicles (AGVs) to deliver food and laundry, to transfer beds and remove waste.
Low energy design
The building has been designed, in collaboration with the architects, to meet Building Classification 2020 – making it one of the most energy efficient hospitals built to date. We have achieved this by using our specialist skills and experience to design a hospital that is highly insulated with an airtight façade. It also includes over 5,000m2 of photovoltaic panels, variable air volume mechanical ventilation with high efficiency heat recovery, district heating and district cooling supply, and LED lighting linked to circadian rhythm colour change software.
Groundwater modelling predictions for climate change
The low-lying nature of the site, coupled with a high groundwater level and restrictions on the extent of rainwater that can be discharged off the site, has necessitated detailed analysis of the grounds response to rainfall absorption, taking into account future climate change predictions. The resultant site drainage design, prepared by our engineers, can withstand a 100-year rain event and the building’s basement has been designed with two separated water-proofing capabilities.
Multidisciplinary and cross border collaboration using latest design tools
Ramboll took overall responsibility of the design model using REVIT and BIM360. This approach considerably shortened the design time and enabled designers in the UK, Denmark and India to concurrently work in the live cloud-based model. It also delivered a cohesive and fully accountable final product for pricing and subsequent installation.
Using BIM360 as a collaborative design platform for the whole team enabled us to build a virtual twin of the hospital in 3D and to verify clashes and model content. We also used Solibri and Dalux viewing software to validate geometry coordination and provide the client with immersive visualisation of the final building, including the ability to walk around the different areas and departments. This has enabled full engagement with end-users and supports the client aspiration to be the most digitally enabled construction project in Denmark.
As multidisciplinary engineering lead, we have provided the client with an international design team to deliver their ambitions to reinvent healthcare provision in Denmark. With a design manager acting as the primary point of contact for the client and architect, a clear line of sight and accountability has been maintained throughout all stages of the project. This is a breakthrough project in hospital design. The ambition, scale and complexity has been successfully met by a skilled global team working within cloud-based tools that have helped facilitate effective collaboration. The result is a high-quality 3D digital design of a complex and architecturally challenging building.
Construction is programmed to commence in 2019, with handover of the building in 2024.
