Sweco competes for major hospital project in Denmark

One of southern Denmark’s largest and most expensive construction projects of all time, the new University Hospital in Odense, has been started and is now in its first phase. Sweco, with experience from the Swedish healthcare sector, is one of the architectural firms that has been chosen to take part in this prestigious competition.

“Healthcare is a growing market for Sweco that involves several of our areas of expertise in architecture, building service systems and structural engineering,” says Eva Nygren, President of Sweco Sweden. “In recent years Sweco has had net sales of over SEK 200 million annually in the healthcare sector.” Sweco, together with a number of international consulting companies, is part of one of the six consortia that have been selected to compete for the design of the new hospital. Under the name of IHA (International Hospital Alliance), Sweco is heading the consortium through Chief Architect Anders Melin, who is specialised in healthcare projects. “It is unusual for architectural firms from outside Denmark to compete for construction projects in the country. Sweco’s long and successful history in healthcare projects in Sweden and the Nordic region, combined with the expertise of the other partners in the consortium, is a key reason why the group was chosen to take part in the competition,” says Anders Melin. The Danish healthcare sector is undergoing far-reaching development and many Danish architectural firms are fully booked for projects several years into the future, which is opening the door for foreign consulting companies in Denmark. At the beginning of 2011 the winner of the competition will be announced or a new competition will be held for the top proposals. The new hospital is scheduled for completion in 2018-2020 and the total investment is estimated at DKK 6.3 billion. Facts In Sweden, Sweco has experience from projects at most of the country’s hospitals, including the recently inaugurated annex at Borås Hospital and major extensions at Falu Hospital, Karlstad Hospital and Umeå University Hospital. Healthcare in Sweden is a sector characterised by investment and development even in times of recession. Looking forward, many hospitals throughout the country are in need of extensive modernisation. The three growth regions - Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne – are all facing major population growth and reorganisation of their healthcare facilities. With a total built area of around 12 million square meters, these healthcare facilities make up Sweden’s largest real estate portfolio. Sweden’s healthcare sector expenditure is equal to 7.8 per cent of GNP.