Sørlandet Hospital Psychiatric Unit

Project information

  1. Location Kristiansand, Norway
  2. Area10.700 m²
  3. Construction cost900 mill NOK

Project details

  1. Year2017 — 2020
  2. StatusOn site
  3. Partners Karlsson Arkitekter
  4. Client Skanska
  5. Scope Hospital and health care planning and design

At Sørlandet Hospital Kristiansand,parts of The Psychiatric Unit and The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit will be co-located in a new building. The plot is situated in a hilly area called "Bølgane" (translates to The Waves) just south of today's hospital at Ek. The site provides a view to the northeast and the forest area on the southwest side.

The connection to nature is an important part of this project. There is access to safe outdoor areas and a good interaction between the building units.

Good interaction between the building units

The new build is planned as a low-rise building complex with all patient areas on the ground floor. To the east, a volume forming a ridge towards the entrance area contains the common functions. Four fingers extend with 24-hour units to the west. The building contains eighty patient rooms distributed over eight 24-hour units. The 24-hour units are connected in pairs, in the four fingers towards the forest edge. The vestibule, the emergency room, activity areas such as indoor sports hall and gym, canteen and group rooms are located in the ridge to the east. Offices and staff areas are located on the second floor, in the back.

The facility has many different, small and large courtyards. Each 24-hour unit has access to an inner courtyard, the sheltered housing units have their own small courtyards and between the fingers, there are larger, more open outdoor areas. Separate emergency rooms are planned to the south and north for adults and the young.

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Bright and welcoming

When choosing solutions for the project, emphasis has been placed on accessibility and universal design. The entrance is bright and welcoming, with a good overview of common areas and outdoor areas. The building is designed to provide easy way-finding and good visual contact.