St. Olav’s Hospital

Giuseppe Lacanna

Description

This university hospital introduced a novelty in Norwegian healthcare architecture: it was the first to integrate treatment, research and teaching. Built in three phases, it opened in 2005 (phase 1), 2010 (phase 2) and 2013 (phase 3). This complex project replaced an existing facility that had to be kept operational during construction work. 85 % of the existing building stock has been demolished, but parts of the original hospital of 1902 were retained. The first phase comprised a laboratory center, a women and children’s center, a center for neurotherapy, the first part of a supply center, the technical infrastructure and the patient hotel. These were realized between 2002 and 2005; the term ‘patient hotel’ reflects the strategy to design most of the new complex as generic elements, a strategy with advantages from a real estate point of view as well as an approach that helps to prevent the typical hospital atmosphere with its overwhelmingly negative associations. The projects of the second phase were completed in 2010. By then, the AHL (accident and emergency center combined with a heart and lung center), the mobility center, the abdominal center and the final part of the supply center had been added. The Knowledge Center was completed in 2013 and houses the hospital’s auditoriums, the main library, facilities for teaching and research as well as a clinical section.

The architects created a small city-in-a-city. Located in the center of Trondheim, a thriving town on Norway’s Atlantic coast, the plan had to respect the grid structure of relatively dense blocks on which it is projected. St. Olav’s has been conceived as a medical district, a distinct zone that nevertheless partakes in urban life. During the design phase, the notion of patient-centered care has been substantiated by involving future users – both staff and patients – in an ‘inclusive design’ process.

The division in a series of generic small-scale building clusters, each representing a clinical center, is a key feature. These centers of up to four stories are arranged around open, green squares. Flexibility is ensured as a center can vary in size over time from the scale of a single building block to an entire cluster of buildings or parts of it. The spatial organization of the blocks serves to minimize walking distances of the staff and the need to move patients around. Tunnels and suspended, glazed corridors connect the blocks; the latter offer unique views of the Trondheim landscape. The basement is reserved for logistics and technical supply purposes, the ground floor concentrates the hospital’s public functions, located on the first floor. The hot floor occupies the second floor while the third floor accommodates technical functions. Above, the fourth, fifth and sixth floors are reserved for the clinic; the patient wards offer views to the city and the landscape. The green courtyards provide an ideal setting for patients and staff to enjoy a landscaped, natural and intimate environment. For recovering patients, these green spaces function as a first step to the outside world. Aware of the crucial emotional psychophysical impact of nature, the landscape architects offer outdoor experiences in three stages, corresponding to the range and needs of the hospital’s users. 25 % of the ground floor of the centers is saturated with greenery that fosters a natural experience. The outdoor public space, blurring the borders between the hospital and its environment, incites a more active use; it is enhanced by artwork and local plant species and connects with the natural reserve of the Nidelva River. On the other side, St. Olav’s public spaces gradually merge with the historical part of Trondheim, dominated by its majestic Nidaros Cathedral and vibrant daily life.