Five Next-Generation Hospitals
Hospital Network HELORA Embraces Modular Design
The UMC HELORA is embarking on a large-scale project: the reconstruction of five hospitals. This is a unique initiative in Europe, aimed at modernizing healthcare delivery while addressing the ecological and technological challenges of the 21st century.
To design these innovative infrastructures, a unique collaboration was established between three architectural and engineering firms: Sweco, archipelago, and Tractebel. Together, they are designing the hospital of the future, where modularity, sustainability, and user well-being perfectly come together.
- Client
- Hospital Network HELORA
- Locations
- Mons, La Louvière, Nivelles, Warquignies, Lobbes
- Expertise
- Architecture, techniques, structural engineering, sustainable design, Digital Engineering, Fire Safety Engineering, Acoustical Engineering, Facade Engineering
- Designers
- Sweco, archipelago, Tractebel
- Figures
- approx. 1,800 beds, 220,000 m²
- Dates
- 2023 – 2031
With a healthcare region of more than 750,000 inhabitants spread over 42 municipalities in the province of Hainaut, 7,000 employees including 1,000 doctors, the new HELORA hospital network comprises 7 hospital locations and no fewer than 64 medical centers covering the entire area.
The strategic decision has been made to rebuild 5 of the 7 hospital locations near the existing sites. Each new location will be a next-generation general community hospital with better accessibility. They will all be served by a common logistics center.
“The assignment is based on a clear ambition: to simultaneously rebuild multiple hospitals to ensure optimal coverage of the region.”
Modular Hospital Design
The design is inspired by the metaphor of a living organism, where the basic unit, the cell, multiplies to form an embryo and then develops specific cells for different functions. In the context of the HELORA community hospital, the ‘cell’ represents a modular basic unit that can be assembled and developed into a three-dimensional structure according to a predetermined matrix.
This matrix follows specific rules that allow different typologies of plans to be generated from a perfectly modular basic unit. Similarly, the various hospitals work together on a larger scale in a ‘network’, just as the cells of an organism are connected and collaborate.
Nature as the Core of Human Well-being
The concept literally places nature at the heart of the project, with the courtyard garden serving as a landmark, source of natural light, and fresh air. The connection with nature and outdoor spaces has been rediscovered and is now considered a primary physiological need.
The courtyard garden, the green heart, is surrounded by a two-level plinth housing the medical-technical and outpatient functions that interact most with the outside world. This plinth is permeable, open, and transparent to its surroundings, creating interesting visual relationships between the central courtyard garden, the functions of the plinth, and the surrounding outdoor spaces.
The integration of nature and numerous open spaces in the hospital design is based on the idea that the proximity of natural elements and the ability to connect with the outside world are essential for human well-being. The garden serves as a protected natural space where patients, staff, and visitors can relax and recharge. The plinth can also evolve in four directions as needed, as an open column structure is used on a proven grid of 8.10 x 8.10 m.
The hospital section is organized into connected rings of 24 beds, each with 2 generic care units. These interconnected and stacked rings form a community around this central garden. In case of seasonal peaks or future pandemics, each care unit can also be expanded to 32 beds or can rely on the beds of the adjacent unit.
Healing Care Environment
This innovative hospital typology combines the benefits of compactness and modularity of previous models and has added a central garden of almost half a football field. The presence of greenery and natural elements is an important aspect of the ‘healing environment’ principle, which states that the physical environment has a positive influence on the healing process.
The structure of the hospital is also designed to have a high degree of versatility, meaning it can be easily adapted to different functions and expanded in all directions. All this contributes to a hospital design that is not only functional, flexible, and sustainable but also has a deep human dimension by creating a permanent relationship with nature and outdoor spaces.
High-Quality Standards and Local Identity
The near-complete reconstruction of the HELORA hospital network with the same vision at 5 locations is unique. A set of principles, rules, and strategies have been established in a charter to ensure that all hospitals now share common standards while retaining their own identity adapted to the specific context of each location.
The result is an innovative hospital typology with a unique ‘signature’ that is specific to the HELORA hospital network, specific to the region: human in scale, evolvable, open, and integrated into the urban or rural landscape, close to its residents.
- Modular and flexible: the architecture is based on a modular system that can be easily adapted and expanded with a certain ‘degree of indeterminacy’ that is essential to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure.
- Standardization and optimization: every aspect of the concept, program, construction, engineering, equipment (medical)… is carefully studied and critically reviewed to improve, standardize, and optimize care and operational processes to ensure economies of scale for the network.
- Healing environment: the outdoor spaces are designed according to the principles of the ‘healing environment’ to support the healing process of patients and promote the well-being of staff and visitors.
- Sustainable techniques and material choice: much attention has been paid to reducing the carbon footprint through the use of sustainable materials and techniques such as geothermal energy, heat pumps, photovoltaic panels…
- Intuitive orientation: in addition to a good balance between built and unbuilt spaces in constant relation to nature, the location of the central garden and patios contributes to intuitive orientation.
Carbon Neutral with Modular Prefabrication
The designers aim to create a ‘carbon-neutral’ hospital by comparing the Helora+ (H+) design with conventional construction. The H+ design focuses on reducing the carbon footprint through various techniques and building materials, such as using low-carbon concrete and hybrid wood-concrete structures for the open shell, demountable prefabricated wooden facade structures clad with ceramic panels, and the use of bio-based finishing materials.
Maximizing standardized modular prefabrication from the design stage with a minimal carbon footprint will significantly reduce the environmental impact. For the first time, the superstructure will be entirely made of wood, and the wooden facade structure will be demountable. Additionally, 95% of all elements will be produced off-site under favorable conditions.
Similarly, all sanitary cabins, bed walls, and fixed furniture with integrated sofa beds will be produced prior to the construction site. This guarantees significantly faster execution, consistent finishing quality, and a shortened construction process. As a result, the final finishing of floors, ceilings, and walls can take place much earlier in the commissioning process, and the hospital can be put into operation more quickly.
CLT and Glued Laminated Timber
The wooden structure of the five buildings will consist of columns and beams made of glued laminated timber and floors in CLT. A total of 16,000 m³ of CLT and 6,000 m³ of glued laminated timber will be used in the project. All the wood used will have a sustainability label. The choice of wood is not only driven by sustainability considerations but also because the hospitals will be located in seismic zones. A wooden structure is lighter and therefore has a favorable impact on seismic forces.
It is also intended to construct the facades of all buildings using timber frame construction, onto which the ceramic facade panels can be mounted. This concept is currently being studied, as is the idea of using dry wooden finishing panels made from recycled wood waste.
Research-Based Design
For the operational reduction of carbon emissions, it is recommended to integrate bioclimatic design from the beginning of the design process. The planned volumes, their orientation, geometry, the location of openings, the ratio of patios, etc., are designed to provide pleasant user comfort with minimal energy consumption. Thanks to simulations in the design phase, the color palette of the scheme can tell us something about the intensity of sunlight on the facades or provide useful indications about the areas or openings that need more shading.
In all aspects, we investigate how to limit the negative impact on the environment. The soil that will be excavated for the construction of the foundations or the underground parking garage will be reused for the redevelopment of the surrounding landscape. This sustainable landscape design not only creates added value but also eliminates the need to transport this soil to other locations.
Materialization with Respect for Tradition
For the fine materialization of the facade cladding, glazed ceramics have been resolutely chosen. The use of ceramics as a building material is deeply rooted in local traditions and crafts. By integrating it into the design, a bridge is created between the past and the present.
Besides the purely aesthetic choice, it is a tribute to the rich history of the vanished pottery factories that characterized Hainaut. Thus, the green color of the base blends into the landscape, and the blue color of the rings merges with the sky. Moreover, they are extremely durable and easy to maintain. The design aims to provide a visually appealing and colorful exterior and to form a unity with the natural environment.
Within the hospital, the use of sustainable materials is continued, which not only serve as functional elements but also as aesthetic enrichment of the interior spaces, contributing to the overall experience.
