Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
Architect: White Tengbom Team.
The New Karolinska Solna project (NKS) was created to replace an ageing hospital that was not fit for modern healthcare demands. The Stockholm County Council wanted to create a new facility that would provide patients with an improved experience and better support interdisciplinary collaboration. White Arkitekter won the competition to design the project and joined forces with Tengbom to meet the complex architectural challenges of the project. The team used daylight, outdoor greenery, colours and art to create a caring and easily orientated environment. On a clinical level, a safe and attractive environment was the main objective. All rooms were for single-patient use and there was space for relatives to stay overnight. Materials and details were carefully selected with their hygienic qualities in mind. The NKS project considered visitors and professionals, providing them with high-quality public meeting spaces inside and out that used Scandinavian and sustainable materials in a timeless manner. The new flexible design brought together specialist clinicians in thematic diagnostic and treatment units covering cancer, cardiovascular, neurological, inflammatory, reparative medicine and paediatric/obstetric care. The project is part of an urban development plan that will transform Stockholm into a leader in life sciences. The building was designed to be rebuilt and evolve, with a general structure enabling flexible and generic ways of working. The design embraced flexibility so that the facilities could meet the healthcare demands of today as well as be fit for purpose in several decades’ time. The building was super energy-efficient, using half the power of comparable hospitals. The project received LEED GOLD certification and Gold in Environmentally Classified Building standard (Miljöbyggnad Guld). The NKS project was part of a wider urban design project that included residentials in combination with life science hubs to create a vibrant, living community.
Photo credit: Fredrik Sweger.