On 1 October, the municipality of Roosendaal officially handed over the construction-ready site on Bulkenaarsestraat to Bravis Hospital. Construction of the new regional hospital can now begin. Team aan de Schie, the architectural collaboration between Vakwerk Architecten and cepezed, is designing it together with the people who will work there. And the project is already a talking point in the region, before a single pile has been driven.
now it really begins
The existing hospital sites increasingly fall short of what modern healthcare demands. In 2019, Bravis therefore chose to build a single new hospital in Roosendaal, serving residents from across the region. The zoning plan is now final and the site is ready for construction. Contractor consortium FourCare starts work straight away. The first piles are expected to go in at the end of November. “After an extensive preparation phase, we can now start building a modern, sustainable hospital, centrally located in our catchment area,” says Albert-Jan Mante, executive board member at Bravis.
two hundred staff at the table
In working groups and conferences, more than two hundred Bravis staff decide with us how the building is laid out. We map the hospital’s processes and weigh up which departments need to be close to one another. With them, we test consulting, examination and inpatient rooms in full-scale mock-ups. This shapes a building of four blocks that together form a cloverleaf. Because short walking distances matter to visitors and staff alike, the building revolves around a central heart containing the stairs and lifts. From there, four compact loops run through the blocks.
care with a view
The design is built around the idea of a healing environment, a setting that supports recovery. Views of nature are proven to help. That is why the wings stand apart, letting the surrounding landscape park, De Bulkenaar, run right up to the heart of the building. The stepped blocks make room for roof gardens and keep the landscape in view. Inside, we give each block its own identity through subtle differences in the interior. That helps visitors find their way and reduces stress.
The approach strikes a chord. In late September, several hundred people visited an information market about the new hospital. Alongside practical questions about access and parking, many were curious about the building and the park around it. “I think the building is beautiful, especially because it’s in a park,” said one visitor. “Combining greenery and care is a brilliant choice.”
Team aan de Schie consists of Vakwerk Architecten, cepezed and cepezedinterieur. BoschSlabbers is designing the landscape. The other partners are ABT (structural engineering), Deerns (building services, building physics & sustainability) and Multical (cost estimation). Contractor consortium FourCare is building the hospital.
