Healthcare

Nordbyhagen Psychiatric Healthcare

Project information

  1. Area9.200 m²
  2. Construction cost810 MNOK

Project details

  1. Year2019 — 2020
  2. StatusDelivered
  3. Partners Asplan Viak
    Norconsult
  4. Client Helse Sør-Øst
  5. Scope Hospital and health care planning and design
    Sustainability
    VIZ
    BIM
    Interior design
    Rehabilitation
    New Build

As a part of the 2016 development plan for Akershus University Hospital, a mental health care facility will be located at Ahus Nordbyhagen, near the somatic hospital. In 2019, Nordic was engaged in the conceptual design for the sketch phase with Asplan Viak and Nordconsult as subcontractors. The project includes a large new building for the Adult Psychiatric Centre (VOP), a smaller extension for the Children and Adolescents Psychiatric Centre (BUP), the redevelopment of existing areas, and a new parking garage.

The new building for the Adult Psychiatric Centre has room for 50 day-care patients and include functions such as: patient’s restaurant, indoor sports hall and gym, therapy room, activity room and office space. The extension for the Children and Adolescents Psychiatric Centre includes a new day centre and some office space.

A boost for mental health care at Nordbyhagen

One of the main goals of the project is to provide patients and employees at Ahus with a building that facilitates good treatment for people in a particularly vulnerable situation. The design focuses on security, flexibility, equality and healing architecture.

The architectural concept adapts to the site and existing buildings, and to the special needs of the patients. The height of the building was kept quite low and the geometry simple and unassuming.

The new building has 24-hour care units at the park level, several sheltered courtyards and roof gardens, common functions and activity areas, and a centrally located access. The facility will have a new main entrance in the heart of the centre, which will grant access both to the new and the existing 24-hour units.

The process

During the concept phase, an extensive user process has been carried out. The architects took part in site inspections and organised several users’ workshops. In the first part of the concept phase, a wide range of alternative building solutions was studied. The number of options were gradually scaled down through a methodical evaluation process in close collaboration with the client, the users, and the consultants.

For the Adult Psychiatric ward, the Cube Concept was selected for processing into the sketch design phase. For the Children and Adolescents Psychiatric ward, the extension to the east was pointed out.

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