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Architects: Nordic Office of Architecture
- Area: 30000 m²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Knut Ramstad
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Lead Architects: Johannes Eggen
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Landscape: Gullik Gulliksen AS, Gullik Gulliksen
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Consultants: Bright, Contiga, Brekke & Strand Akustikk, Deloitte, Norconsult
Text description provided by the architects. LHL strives to become a leading authority in its field, offering its members treatment and rehabilitation. Nordic - Office of Architecture was commissioned by LHL, the Norwegian association for people with heart and lung disease, to develop their new hospital at Gardermoen, Norway. The hospital will be the center of this development and form the core of a commercial cluster primarily consisting of healthcare-related businesses, such as medicine, research, technology, services and preventive medicine as well as other knowledge-based activities.
User-focused design. The project was brought to life by a large multidisciplinary team, with a singular focus on the users of the hospital. Based on LEAN-principles, the end-user has always been at the center of the development; from picking the right plot, through focus groups, workflow-analysis, programming, and early stage design development, to detailing.
The result is that both patients and staff feel a strong sense of ownership and pride in the building thanks to the extensive degree of user engagement throughout the design process.
Healing qualities. The idea of the best patient experience possible has permeated the architectural and interior design of the hospital. The atmosphere is light and relaxing, and the building is easily navigable, with short walking distances. Abundant natural light and spatial connections provide transparency and lines of sight throughout the building. Large windows provide an important visual connection to nature. When paired with the extensive use of timber and glass, simple, precise forms, and well-considered detailing, the building feels less like a traditional hospital and more like a retreat.
Material choices reflect the optimal balance between qualities that are comforting and pleasant for the users and the necessary requirements for medical treatment and efficiency.
Strategic flow. Hospital functions have been strategically arranged to ensure a natural and efficient flow within the structure. Work-intensive areas such as ambulance reception, helicopter pad, and goods delivery are located near access zones, while patient beds, rehabilitation areas, and visitor accommodation face the surrounding green landscape.
Public functions and facilities are located on the ground floor. The main entrance leads visitors into a large atrium with connections to the restaurant, available medical treatment services, and a therapeutic pool with large windows facing the green outdoors.
Urban and rural. In time, the hospital will become part of a new health campus, creating varied urban spaces while making good use of the recreational potential of the nearby woodlands.
Gardermoen Campus will combine the urban with the rural. A network of roads will structure a diverse mix of buildings with entrances, squares, and public realm on one side, and green areas with paths and parks integrated into the existing woodlands on the other.
The campus and surrounding area will, together with the people who work or are treated here, form the foundation for a welcoming haven, where one can feel safe when life is at its toughest.
