Wingårdhs, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and Sydväst Architecture and Landscape have won the invited architectural competition for Swedish Västfastigheter for a new community hospital located at Wieselgrensplatsen in Gothenburg. The proposal 'Green connections' reinterprets the classic hospital in the city with a building that becomes an open and green meeting place for the neighbourhood.

The public health service in Gothenburg must be closer to the citizens, and access to care must be so natural that it also becomes preventive. That is the ambition behind the new community hospital on Wieselgrensplatsen. The proposal was designed by Swedish Wingårdhs, Danish Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, with long experience in hospital construction, and landscape architects Sydväst, who create integrated landscape solutions.

In a place where there is currently a gas station and a McDonalds, the new community hospital will be surrounded by a lush park that will become a natural gathering point for the surrounding area. Green connections will cover a total of 26,000 square meters and contain premises for both primary and specialist care, including functions such as obstetrics, psychiatry, health care and dentistry.

On the ground floor, there will be a café, pharmacy and an open nursery. The roof terrace and its garden will be public and offer a view of Gothenburg. The goal is for the place to become part of everyday life, not only for the patients, but also for the citizens.

The project focuses on reducing the climate and environmental footprint, and the building is designed to be adaptable over time. With a focus on reducing the climate impact, the building is constructed in a load-bearing hybrid construction of wood and concrete with a wood-clad facade.

Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter and Wingårdhs have previously collaborated, i.a. about the just completed Pasteur's Tower in Carlsberg Byen.

The jury's motivation
"'Grønne Forbindelser' is a well-thought-out and competent architectural proposal with the potential to become a popular and recognizable landmark in the city. The proposal shows empathy and knowledge of the needs and conditions of both the patient and the organization. Among other things, the architects have designed a beautiful and well-functioning building with beautiful spaces and a structure that makes it possible to change the business over time. The outdoor environment is rich in greenery and has plenty of space for everyday life in the city. The proposal offers a "health house" for Wieselgrensplatsen and its surroundings, a hospital that is welcoming both externally with its beautiful round shape in the city and in the way the business is organized internally. Solutions, materials and motifs are well thought out and can withstand continued development."