Sweco Belgium
UZ Gent is building the care of tomorrow with Project U
How do you transform a busy university hospital campus into a future‑proof, healthy and easily accessible care environment—while care continues uninterrupted, every single day? With Project U, Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent) has embarked on one of the largest transformation programmes in its history. Sweco is supporting the hospital with master planning, design and the preparation of this complex, large‑scale operation.
From a fragmented campus to a clear central heart
Over the decades, UZ Gent has grown organically, resulting in a campus that has become complex and difficult to navigate for patients, visitors and staff alike. Project U marks a decisive shift away from this fragmentation.
At the heart of the renewal is a new central main building—the future focal point of the campus—constructed above a large underground car park. Around this new heart, UZ Gent is reorganising its care functions, logistics and energy supply into a coherent, future‑ready whole.
The master plan is guided by clear principles, each with a direct impact on the experience of patients, visitors and staff.
- A design that cares for everyone
Generous daylight, welcoming waiting areas, logical walking routes and clear sightlines create a more humane hospital environment. A large atrium at the centre of the new main building brings all circulation routes together. - A healthy, green campus
By moving parking underground, paved surfaces are reduced, allowing the campus to become greener, more climate‑resilient and more pleasant for everyone. - Easy access to the heart of the campus
A new access tunnel, clear tram and car connections, and a temporary entrance that manages all traffic flows during construction ensure that the campus remains accessible—even during the most intensive phases of the works.
Building the backbone first: utilities, parking and tram infrastructure
A transformation of this scale does not begin with a landmark building. A series of preparatory projects is first required to make the campus ready for change.
- New staff car park
Staff parking is relocated to the edge of the campus in an eight‑storey steel parking structure providing 1,800 spaces. This frees up central space for the new main building and its underground car park for patients and visitors. - Diversion of utilities
Beneath the campus lies a dense network of high‑voltage cables, data and telecom lines, and water pipes. As part of Project U, extensive diversion works were carried out, including the installation and rerouting of- 1.5 km of high‑voltage cabling,
- 1.3 km of fibre‑optic cable,
- 1.6 km of telephone cabling, and
- 4.6 km of HDPE piping.Throughout these works, the hospital remained fully operational.
- Relocation of the tram line
To make way for the access tunnel to the underground car park for patients and visitors, a section of the tram line was rerouted in close collaboration with public transport operator De Lijn.
An underground foundation for the new main building
Following these preparatory works, construction begins on the first phase of the underground car park, including the access tunnel. This initial phase will accommodate 1,100 vehicles for patients and visitors and literally forms the foundation upon which the new main building will later be constructed. The phasing is carefully choreographed. The first half of the underground car park replaces the existing parking facility. Only then can the second half be built, allowing the main building to gradually rise above the entire underground structure.
New radiotherapy and energy infrastructure
In parallel, UZ Gent is investing in new care and energy facilities:
- A new radiotherapy building (7,000 m²) with five state‑of‑the‑art bunkers and all supporting functions
- A new energy centre that will act as the hub for electrical and thermal energy supply across the renewed campus
More than bricks: transition support as a critical success factor
Project U deliberately goes beyond design and construction. As the physical campus is transformed, UZ Gent is also undergoing organisational change. A structured transition approach is preparing the hospital’s organisation, processes, budgets and change programmes for the move into the new environment.
This coordination is structured around three key components.
Organisation and operations
Together with UZ Gent, Sweco identifies change processes and projects through in‑depth analysis of floor plans, circulation and logistics flows. We assess how workflows will evolve, analysing future walking and working routes, departmental structures, staffing levels and collaboration within new entities, such as an oncology centre.
Budget and resources
We determine which medical equipment, furniture and systems are required in the new buildings, what can be reused, and which new (digital) solutions are needed—such as automated logistics or transport systems. Cost control is a central focus throughout this phase.
Transition planning and activation
Staff are actively engaged through information sessions, site visits and scenario testing via dry runs. This ensures the new facilities can be brought into operation safely and smoothly. Importantly, this phase is not only about informing people, but about fostering ownership and engagement.
With Project U, UZ Gent is doing more than building new infrastructure. It is redefining how care, mobility, energy and logistics come together on a modern hospital campus. As a trusted partner, Sweco is involved from the drawing board to the construction site, supporting this transformation step by step—with a strong focus on people, the environment and the future.
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