herzog & de meuron chosen to build low-rise hospital in denmark

herzog & de meuron has been chosen to build an acute care facility located in the north zealand region of denmark, 70 kilometers (43 miles) outside of copenhagen. entitled ‘the new north zealand hospital’ the project is the swiss practice’s first project in scandanavia, and has been developed in collaboration with local firm vilhelm lauritzen.

UPDATE: in october 2020, herzog & de meuron shared an aerial update of the clover-shaped building. ‘this organic form responds to its location in the midst of the wide danish landscape; creating a central interior garden to become a connecting space for the hospital, while simultaneously flowing into its surrounding natural environment,’ explain the architects. read more about the project below.

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter (also main image)

envisioned as a pavilion set within the forest, herzog & de meuron’s design brings together all the hospital’s necessary functions within one structure. the low-rise building reaches out horizontally into the landscape, surrounded by trees and native plantation. unlike many large-scale hospitals, the inviting and welcoming facility maintains a human scale throughout, arranged around an expansive garden.

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

when viewed in section, the placement of the hospital’s program is simplified, with two floors of examination and treatment rooms forming a pedestal upon which a two storey ribbon of wards is placed. the flexible design can be adapted for future expansion, with large and uniform floor plates accommodating for shifts in usage and function. in order to ensure short internal connections between departments, the more frequented areas of the hospital are located at central areas of the plan, while the main flows of outpatients and inpatients are separated vertically.

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

each ward is constructed from lightweight prefabricated modules made from either metal or wood. between these volumes, bathrooms establish the structure’s cured form. cementing the building’s relationship with nature, patients’ rooms offer views into the treetops or across the wide central garden that connects the complex.

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

‘we are very happy to have been awarded the new north zealand hospital in hillerød,’ explains herzog & de meuron. ‘together with the hospital’s representatives, a project was developed demonstrating that architectural ambition and functionality can come together in a hospital. the choice of the jury is a seminal sign to architects and the entire health-care sector: low, flat hospital buildings can be better integrated in the city or the countryside than the high-rises structures that were often realized in the last decades. the hospital organically reaches out into the wide landscape. simultaneously its soft, flowing form binds the many components of the hospital. it is a low building that fosters exchange between staff and patients, and it has a human scale despite its very large size.’

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

‘herzog & de meuron have designed a patient-centered hospital — a beautiful, healing and functional building that supports our patients’ recovery in the best possible way,’ says hospital director bente ourø rørth. ‘the hospital’s great strength is its highly successful and fundamental fusion of form and function.’

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

construction on ‘the new north zealand hospital’ is underway, with the facility set to open in 2024. see designboom’s coverage of shortlisted proposals for the project by BIG and ARUP, and CF moller.

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

image © herzog & de meuron – vilhelm lauritzen arkitekter

the site under construction | image © herzog & de meuron

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project info:

herzog & de meuron team:
partners: jacques herzog, pierre de meuron, christine binswanger (partner in charge)
project team: jason frantzen (associate), martin fröhlich (associate), mark bähr (project manager), farhad ahmad (digital technologies), agata anna banaszyk, nicholas dunkel, blanca garcia, emmanuel guilloux, ryoko ikeda, paul kath, christina liao (animations), áron lőrincz (digital technologies), luke matone, lukasz szlachcic, rachel tan, axel vansteenkiste

planning:
design consultant: herzog & de meuron, basel switzerland
executive architect: vilhelm lauritzen architects, copenhagen, denmark
landscape design: vogt landschaftsarchitekten, zurich, switzerland
structural / MEP: ramboll UK, london, UK (1st and 2nd phase); MOE, copenhagen, denmark (2nd phase)
sustainability consultant: ramboll, UK, london, UK (1st phase); MOE, copenhagen, denmark (2nd phase)
hospital planning: IBG, aarau, switzerland (1st phase); SINTEF, trondheim, norway (2nd phase)

site area: 300,000 sqm
gross floor area: 124,000 sqm
number of beds: 662