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, this futuristic building will be there: it will be inaugurated in the summer of 2017.

Landscape context

The site on which the hospital will be built 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 will be functional as well as future-oriented and sustainable, preserving the rural character of the area.

Architecture

The new hospital, inspired by the surrealist work of René Magritte, floats, as it were, above the landscape 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 represents a break from 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.

Engineering

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 is responsible for the study of the entire technical equipment of the building as well as for the commissioning at the new hospital. This involves in-depth tests that exceed a normal delivery. Special attention is also paid to the operation and interaction of the systems, technical and constructional, after commissioning, including the maintenance contracts of the various technical systems.