{"id":48784,"date":"2026-03-02T08:09:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T07:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/?post_type=blog&p=48784"},"modified":"2026-03-02T08:09:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T07:09:53","slug":"revisiting-grand-hopital-de-charleroi-15-months-after-inauguration-part-1","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/en\/news\/revisiting-grand-hopital-de-charleroi-15-months-after-inauguration-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi 15 months after inauguration – part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At the end of 2024, the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi (GHdC) inaugurated the Centre Hospitalier des Viviers. Sweco\u2011R\u00e9servoir A served as the architectural and engineering partner for this landmark project, which had been in development for more than a decade. The project involved a fundamental rethinking of GHdC\u2019s medical strategy and hospital organisation. Five historic hospital sites in the city centre were consolidated into a single new campus, developed on a former slag heap. The result is a 154,000 m\u00b2 care facility, strategically located at the intersection of major mobility routes and in close proximity to key healthcare hubs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the Centre Hospitalier des Viviers, GHdC pursued two primary objectives: improving the quality of care and increasing organisational efficiency. Fifteen months after its opening, we return to the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi to speak with various stakeholders. What impact has the Viviers site had on the hospital and its medical vision? How do stakeholders and end users reflect on the design and delivery process?<\/p>\n

Meet Gauthier Saelens, Chief Executive Officer of the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi (GHdC).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Viviers site is now fully operational. If you were to describe the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi as it is expressed today in this new hospital, how would you define it in a few words?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gauthier Saelens: <\/strong>The new hospital is truly the flagship of our organisation. We still operate two smaller hospital sites: Notre\u2011Dame, which continues to host activities such as the polyclinic, elderly care and mental health services, and the Charles\u2011Albert Fr\u00e8re Centre, which is dedicated to child psychiatry. However, all acute, technical and medico\u2011technical activities are now concentrated here, on the Les Viviers site. That is why I refer to it as our \u201cflagship\u201d: it has become the centre of gravity for the entire organisation. This does not mean that the other sites are overlooked\u2014quite the opposite. They remain essential components of our overall healthcare ecosystem.<\/p>\n

The development of the new hospital was always presented as a lever for the broader transformation of the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi. To what extent has this project reshaped the institution\u2019s identity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>Simply bringing the majority of our activities together on a single site represents a profound organisational transformation. In the past, our teams were spread across several locations; today, they meet, collaborate and even share informal moments together in one place. This concentration has fundamentally changed the way we work together.\u00a0Managing five separate sites, each with its own specificities, is very different from managing one large central hospital supported by two smaller facilities. To give a sense of scale: out of our 4,800 employees, around 4,200 now work here at Les Viviers. It represents a complete shift in paradigm, with much stronger synergies between medical, surgical and nursing disciplines.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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This consolidation of activities was driven by a strategic vision from the outset. What benefits are you seeing today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>The primary benefit\u2014and the one we were seeking above all\u2014is an improvement in the quality of care. When a patient arrives in the emergency department with a complex condition, all the necessary specialists are now on site, within the same building. In the very first weeks alone, we encountered concrete situations where this proximity quite literally saved lives. The second benefit is comfort. Patients now enjoy more spacious rooms, better\u2011designed circulation areas and a calmer, more reassuring environment. The third contribution is sustainability. Compared with our buildings from the 1960s, we have made major advances in energy performance: rainwater harvesting, improved insulation and a wide range of energy\u2011saving systems. Finally, there is the economic dimension, which is still in progress. At present, we are slightly over\u2011consuming both human and material resources as we finalise the organisation. The objective, however, is to achieve greater efficiency fairly quickly\u2014without any job losses\u2014through a natural adjustment of staffing structures.<\/p>\n

Has human resources management evolved as a result of this project? Have you noticed an impact on the site\u2019s attractiveness, particularly for medical staff?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>The impact was immediate. Several months before the opening, young doctors were already telling us they were applying specifically because of the new hospital\u2014not only because it is new and visually appealing, but above all because everything is concentrated in one place: all disciplines, all pathologies, all services. This creates a rich and stimulating working environment. For nursing staff, the effect has been more gradual, as teams were significantly disrupted: changes in shift patterns, the merging of services, new protocols, and so on. That said, the situation is now stabilising, and I am convinced that this stability will progressively enhance the hospital\u2019s attractiveness for nurses and other paramedical professions.<\/p>\n

You often emphasise the hospital\u2019s role as a key player within its community. How does the Viviers site help to renew the hospital\u2019s connection with the city and the wider region?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>First and foremost, we have remained in Charleroi\u2014more precisely, we have reinvested in the eastern basin, which is our historical anchor. At the same time, we can already see the neighbourhood evolving. New roads have been built, businesses are beginning to establish themselves, and property transactions are increasing. This clearly shows that the Viviers site acts as a catalyst. It attracts people and encourages them to settle in the area\u2014both staff members who wish to live closer to their workplace and entrepreneurs who recognise the area\u2019s economic potential. I believe it will play a major role in transforming a zone that, until now, has been relatively underdeveloped.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The second benefit is comfort. Patients now enjoy more spacious rooms, better\u2011designed circulation areas and a calmer, more reassuring environment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Gauthier Saelens<\/strong>, Chief Executive Officer Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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What impact has this project had on how users perceive the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>In the first few weeks, the feedback was mixed. Some people felt unsettled: the hospital is much larger than what they were used to, familiar landmarks have disappeared, and parking, circulation routes and registration processes have all changed. For long\u2011standing, loyal patients, this can be quite challenging. On the other hand, others\u2014often younger patients or those new to the hospital\u2014found the new facility remarkable. It\u2019s important to recognise that everyone is in a learning phase. Staff are learning to operate in a completely new environment, and patients are learning how to find their way around it. What we have heard time and again, however, is a sense of pride in having a hospital of this scale in Charleroi. One woman once said to me:\u00a0\u201c<\/em>A hospital like this\u2014we thought that was something reserved for Brussels or elsewhere\u2026 not here.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0For me, that comment says it all.<\/p>\n

This facility was designed to remain agile in the face of crises. Do you feel the hospital is now equipped to deal with the unexpected?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>I do believe we now have the structure in place to cope with the unexpected. Of course, we don\u2019t know what the next crisis will be\u2014we tend to prepare based on the last one, whether that was COVID, an economic downturn or a sudden drop in activity in a particular department. That said, I am confident in the institution\u2019s capacity to adapt. This agility is no longer just an objective; it has become part of our DNA.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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This is an extraordinary project\u2014a professional adventure that comes along only rarely. The architecture and spatial design have a profound influence on how work is organised. We now have a remarkable facility that truly serves both patients and healthcare professionals.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

V\u00e9ronique Guilmot<\/strong>, Human Resources director Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The architectural concept is based on a modular logic, designed to stand the test of time. How do you assess this strategy in day\u2011to\u2011day use?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>From the outset, we planned for potential extensions, particularly in areas where we anticipate future growth: chronic care, oncology, geriatrics, mental health and outpatient services more broadly. All of these scenarios were integrated into the design from the beginning. We know exactly where and how to build should we need to increase capacity in the future\u2014the foundations are already in place.<\/p>\n

What has been the most memorable moment for you in this decade\u2011long project?<\/strong><\/p>\n

G.S.: <\/strong>There have been many. It\u2019s really been a succession of defining moments: the first groundbreaking, of course; the levelling of the slag heap, which truly marked the start of the project; the moment we buried a time capsule beneath the main hall, with each staff member contributing an object, sealed inside a concrete cube. A plaque now marks that spot. And then there were the four days of the move itself. Thirty ambulances, hundreds of patients transferred\u2014mothers, newborns, elderly people, burn victims. It was an extraordinary collective effort, driven by incredible energy and solidarity. I also vividly remember the moment the funding was confirmed\u2014that single \u201cyes\u201d which made everything possible. Each of these moments mattered, and taken together, they made this project a true adventure.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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