{"id":48849,"date":"2026-03-04T18:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/?post_type=blog&p=48849"},"modified":"2026-03-04T18:56:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T17:56:29","slug":"revisiting-grand-hopital-de-charleroi-15-months-after-inauguration-part-2","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.swecobelgium.be\/en\/news\/revisiting-grand-hopital-de-charleroi-15-months-after-inauguration-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Revisiting Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi 15 months after inauguration \u2013 part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With the Centre Hospitalier des Viviers, GHdC set out to improve the quality of care while making the organisation more efficient. Fifteen months later, 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 project? How do those involved\u2014and the end users\u2014look back on the design and delivery process?<\/p>\n

Today, we speak with David Van Drooghenbroeck, director of institutional affairs at the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi (GHdC). In part 1, managing director Gauthier Saelens shared his experience.<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Can you trace the history of the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi project? When did the initial reflections begin, and what were the key milestones?
\n<\/strong>David Van Drooghenbroeck: <\/strong>The very first institutional reflections date back to the creation of the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi in 2008. It was probably at that point that some members of the Board began to consider consolidating the five hospitals into a single site. The logic was straightforward: if we were unifying legally, why not do so physically as well? Concrete decisions were taken between late 2010 and early 2011, when the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi formally decided to build a new hospital and relocate its five sites to one location.<\/p>\n

Which stakeholders supported the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi throughout this transformation? Are they still involved today?<\/strong>
\nD.V.D.: <\/strong>Projects of this scale bring together a wide range of stakeholders, both internal and external. When designing a hospital, you must anticipate how the building will evolve over decades of operation. All stakeholders needed to embrace this idea: true modernity in a hospital lies in its capacity to evolve and reinvent itself. No one can fully predict regulatory, economic or social developments. The COVID\u201119 crisis reminded us how some assumptions were well founded, while others were less so. These reflections were captured in our\u00a0\u201cblue book\u201d<\/em>, a document that brought together numerous internal discussions into a set of fundamental project principles. The blue book became an integral part of the contractual framework with the project\u2019s many partners\u2014and all of those partners remain involved today.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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What made the Viviers site the obvious choice for the new hospital?<\/strong>
\nD.V.D.:<\/strong> Several criteria guided the decision. First and foremost, we needed a large, contiguous site: Viviers offers 17 hectares in a single plot. It is also highly accessible, located directly next to the motorway. The extension of the metro line\u2014locally referred to as a tram\u2014was already partially in place. The site is highly visible and well known to the local population, situated at the eastern entrance to the city. This visibility helps reduce stress for patients and visitors. From an urban\u2011planning perspective, it also enabled the Walloon and local authorities to identify the Grand H\u00f4pital de Charleroi as a catalyst for urban, economic and social development in the region.<\/p>\n

Which elements of the project designed by Sweco and Reservoir A are proving successful today?<\/strong>
\nD.V.D.:<\/strong> Sweco and Reservoir A responded very intelligently to our specifications. While designers propose solutions, it is the client who decides\u2014and ultimately bears full responsibility. From the outset, we laid the foundations for genuine collaboration. We wanted an evolving building, designed according to a logic of functional \u201clayers\u201d, which Sweco and Reservoir A integrated perfectly into their proposal. Out of the twelve teams that responded to the public tender, the Sweco\u2013Reservoir A partnership clearly stood out. Their team truly understood our blue book and our vision of the hospital of the future.<\/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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We wanted an evolving building, designed according to a logic of functional \u201clayers\u201d, which Sweco and Reservoir A integrated perfectly into their proposal. Out of the twelve teams that responded to the public tender, the Sweco\u2013Reservoir A partnership clearly stood out. Their team truly understood our blue book and our vision of the hospital of the future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

David Van Drooghenbroeck<\/strong>, director of institutional affairs 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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Thirteen years for such a project\u2014is that too long to plan and maintain adaptability?<\/strong>
\nD.V.D.:<\/strong> Thirteen years may seem long when compared with, say, a private housing project. But for a hospital built from scratch\u2014154,000 m\u00b2, plus 40,000 m\u00b2 of parking\u2014it is actually quite fast. Paradoxically, the real challenge is not managing the construction phase, which took five years, but managing institutional impatience. Between the closure of the programme and the hospital\u2019s commissioning, any desire for changes must be resisted. New ideas emerge every day in a hospital environment.\u00a0We anticipated this and agreed that structural changes could only be made after opening. This is where the building\u2019s capacity to evolve becomes absolutely essential.<\/p>\n

In terms of quality of working life, what concrete improvements has the new hospital delivered for staff and patients?<\/strong>
\nD.V.D.: <\/strong>From the moment they arrived, staff noticed the abundance of natural light throughout the building. This transforms the atmosphere, encourages interaction and facilitates communication. We also created pleasant shared spaces, such as the staff restaurant, which has become a real social hub. For patients, care units were designed around a care\u2011centre model. Rooms are comfortable, bright and well equipped, most with companion beds, hoists and spacious bathrooms. The use of wood, colour and thermal comfort all contribute to a calming environment.\u00a0For caregivers, this translates into improved functionality, smoother circulation and greater working comfort. In highly technical areas such as intensive care, operating theatres and medical imaging, the equipment is state\u2011of\u2011the\u2011art and space is optimally designed. Compared with our former sites, the difference is striking.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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