Motor of one of the most important and strategically valuable areas
The new hospital is being built behind the station zone of Vilvoorde, providing good connections to both road transport and public transport. As a result, the AZ Jan Portaels Hospital becomes the motor of one of the most important and strategically valuable areas in Vilvoorde.
Inspired by an open-block concept
The hospital’s design, which treats more than 10,700 hospitalized patients and conducts over 64,500 consultations annually, is characterized by an open-block concept. This creates a balance between opening up to the urban environment and maintaining a sense of enclosure. With the presence of two inner gardens, the building opens itself to the surrounding landscape and urban context while preserving the tranquility and serenity within these enclosed gardens and the hospital. This contributes to a healing atmosphere with a focus on the patient and their environment.
The open-block concept combines the advantages of a campus model with the compactness of a closed block. The separate buildings, including the cure-care building, the health center, and the office, are easily recognizable. These spaces receive abundant daylight and are designed with a small-scale and distinct layout. The buildings are arranged in such a way that they form part of the block, resulting in a very compact form with short walking distances, good connections, and distinctive architecture.
Human scale with consideration for the surroundings
The hospital design features a rational layout, resulting in a compact, rectangular five-story building with a grid distribution, accommodating any desired healthcare function. This ensures maximum internal flexibility and future-proofing of the building.
Furthermore, the design features a folded facade, giving the building a human scale and orienting patient rooms even more towards the outside. The hospital’s public spaces are designed to maintain contact with daylight and the surroundings, enabling patients and visitors to navigate easily. Patients and staff can move directly from one location to another, but it is also possible to take a detour through the public walkways along the various terraces and gardens.
The new hospital will become an urban player that communicates with its surroundings, acting as an active motor for a new district. To achieve this, the location of the hospital, as well as the desires and needs of Vilvoorde’s residents, patients, medical team, care staff, and visitors, have been taken into account. The design team has thus created an ambitious plan that ensures a healing environment combined with urban integration throughout the design.