The new emergency department at Herlev Hospital consists of circular, staggered buildings

The 54,000-m² expansion will accommodate a new emergency department and a mother-child centre with paediatric and maternity departments. The project consists of three circular buildings located on rectangular bases, which are staggered, creating a series of inviting outdoor spaces. Consequently, the 120-metre high rectangular geometry of the existing hospital will achieve a scaled-down, compressed contrast. The overall complex changes from being a very large building on a flat surface without any outdoor spaces to being a range of characterful units and a series of colourful, inviting outdoor spaces.

In the words of the jury:

“On the basis of an acute analysis of the development of the health sector and a consequent focus on creating an approachable, manageable, worthy and sensual environment for patients, relatives and staff, the vision of the competition entrants is to create a symbiosis between the hospital and its surroundings, where the individual elements are part of a natural circulation, together creating a ‘hospital of the senses’, which will enhance Herlev Hospital’s profile as an exemplary and innovative hub for health care.”