The temporary association AAPROG - BOECKX. - BURO II & ARCHI I won the ambitious competition of vzw Gezondheidszorg Oostkust for a new hospital in Knokke-Heist in 2007. Ten years later, in the spring of 2018, this futuristic building was inaugurated.

The site on which the hospital stands is 20 acres. The new healthcare center includes a hospital, rehabilitation center, healthcare hotel, outpatient clinic, auditoriums, public event space and heliport. The new hospital is both functional, future-oriented, sustainable and preserves the rural character of its surroundings. The new hospital, inspired by the surrealist work of René Magritte, floats above the landscape, so to speak, and is dominated by light and nature right down to the underground spaces. The link between inside and outside, between healthcare facilities and public spaces is almost seamless, resulting in an inviting and inspiring environment. The design is a striking example of "living architecture": sustainable design and construction with particular attention to integration into the landscape, ecological energy and materials used.

The approach through a multidisciplinary design team means breaking the traditional approach in architecture and sets a precedent in terms of open consultation at all stages: from design, planning, construction to commissioning and future evolution. The design team broke the tradition of hospitals as functional boxes with sterile spaces and focused on a harmony of medical functions, personal reassurance and social interactions. A clear choice was made to apply sustainable and energy-saving measures, without sacrificing high comfort requirements. Among others, a biomass boiler, cogeneration and borehole energy storage contribute to sustainable energy generation.

Ingenium was responsible for the study of the entire technical equipment of the building as well as for the commissioning at the new hospital. This involved in-depth tests that exceeded a normal delivery. Special attention was also paid to the operation and interaction of the systems, technical and constructional, after commissioning, including the maintenance contracts of the various technical systems. Everything was carried out in accordance with VIPA conditions.