Midtbygda Treatment Centre

Project information

  1. Location Åsane, Bergen
  2. Area11.760 m²
  3. Construction cost935 MNOK

Project details

  1. Year2021 — 2026
  2. StatusUnder development
  3. Partners Skanska
  4. Client Bergen kommune
  5. Enquiries Lise Lotte Meiner
  6. Scope Hospital and health care planning and design
    Residential design
    New Build

Heart of the neighbourhood

Midtbygda Treatment Centre, together with Åsaheimen Nursing Home, also designed by Nordic, forms a combined short and long-term care facility for seniors in Åsane, north Bergen. The centre itself will be a short-term home for 100 senior residents, designed with a focus on the functional and social qualities that improve their daily lives.

Conveniently located in Bergen close to the Åsane bus terminal, Midtbygda Treatment Centre will play an important role for its residents and for the local community. The ground floor will offer a range of public-facing spaces such as a café with the option to rent for private events, a fitness centre, a multi-purpose room, and various pleasant outdoor areas. These areas are to be enjoyed by residents and staff, as well as visitors of all ages.

Inside and out

The architectural concept was founded on the ambition to bring the landscape through the building, both east–west from the main entry to the courtyard and south–north through the courtyard.

The location of the centre is not only convenient, but also beautiful, situated between pine-clad hills. Making the best use of the scenery, resident rooms face the forest, whilst heart zones and living spaces on the residential floors face an outdoor courtyard. It was essential to arrange all outdoor areas along the natural contours of the landscape, to provide some sheltered areas that are private and some that are more open and inclusive.

Public and private

The ground floor serves as the community space for residents and neighbours to meet and mingle, both outside and inside. The more private residential floors are grouped around the heart zone – there are two residential groups per heart zone with a central staircase and elevator and there are two heart zones per floor facing the inner courtyard with multiple areas for socialising and relaxing. Each residential area has 10 residential rooms and a shared living room, kitchen and dining area with access to a private terrace.

Materiality and sustainability

The interior is designed with large openings for maximum daylight, and with solid and tactile materials such as solid wood walls, beams and columns. The facade is also made of wood, characterised by a simple module which is repeated throughout the envelope This module is formed as a frame which represents the inner structure of horizontal floors and vertical CLT-walls/columns. The infill of the frame comes with different variations depending on the rooms behind, for example, there are windows for private rooms that look out onto the neighbours and generous glass curtain walls for the collective spaces that faces to the internal courtyard.

The project's high sustainability ambitions include an emissions-free construction site, FutureBuilt nZEB, BREEAM-NOR Excellent and the use of recycled and reused materials.