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Architects: EGM architecten
- Area: 41082 m²
- Year: 2011
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Photographs: Courtesy of EGM architecten
Text description provided by the architects. The new Albert Schweitzer Hospital is an important part of the larger urban development of the Health Park in Dordrecht. The park is designed as a multipurpose urban area that will welcome around 2.5 million visitors every year. The Health Park consists of three parts: a hospital zone surrounding the new Albert Schweitzer Hospital, a multi-functional sports boulevard and a spacious and pleasant boulevard with shops, restaurants, offices and apartments called the Esplanade. The Albert Schweitzer Hospital, designed by EGM architecten, was one of the driving forces behind this concept.
The existing hospital was extensively modernized and extended to make a boulevard. On the north side of the existing building, a continuous transparent platform was constructed. This accommodates special functions such as hospital emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, the Knowledge Centre, a General Practitioner and a branch of Radiotherapy from the Erasmus MC - Daniel den Hoed.
The platform holds four building sections that can be used flexibly due to their simple structure. The easternmost section contains a nursing home, a care facility and a maternity care hotel. West of the main entrance are three sections, the first section housing the offices. The middle section includes the vocational department of the Da Vinci College and the Knowledge Centre. The section on the western corner holds the headquarters of the Public Health Service South Holland South. Each section has its own character. This building diversification contributes to the urban atmosphere.
Through visual language and the use of materials per unit area, sufficient architectural variety is guaranteed, without becoming a monotonous homogeneity. The landscape serves as a binder. The architecture is subdued and subordinated to the appearance of the area around thematically oriented care and health.
