SWECO's architects win hospital competition in Borås

SWECO FFNS has won an architectural competition for the design of a new 9-storey building at Borås Central Hospital in the southern parts of Sweden. The jury was impressed by the proposal’s “uncommon versatility in a superbly simple building”.

”In today’s health care sector, there is a need for new solutions that contribute to greater efficiency and simplify day-to-day tasks for staff and patients. Our solution is well adapted to this modern reality, with meagre resources, a growing number of patients and extensive demands on flexibility”, says Eva Nygren, Managing Director of SWECO FFNS. One of the proposal’s underlying priorities is that the building be designed to tolerate a varying number of beds over different hours of the day and days of the week. Another was that it must be easy to convert clinical facilities into patient wards, and vice versa. Furthermore, the proposed design offers excellent potential for teamwork and its short distances provide the conditions for adequate staffing even during shifts with fewer personnel. ”It was particularly satisfying to win this competition, since new large-scale health care facilities are seldom planned in Sweden”, says Eva Nygren. The jury’s motive was: "The proposed building is superbly simple, composed of two volumes which connect ingeniously to the existing structures. The facade design opens possibilities for variations in the building’s floor plans, and therefore also ensures far-reaching flexibility to meet future needs.” SWECO FFNS was chosen in competition with four other architectural offices. The proposal will now serve as a basis for ongoing planning and design activities. The building contractor is Västfastigheter, Borås district.