Creativity, inspiration and brilliant penmanship combine to form the picture of the creative architect that causes us to wonder and be amazed. But when the assignment is to achieve one of the world’s leading hospitals, you need something more. A ‘road-map’ that ensures, step by step, that the final creation lives up to – and ideally surpasses – the original visions.

The New Karolinska Solna will also be the engine for the Stockholm region’s investment in a world-class medical research centre. Achieving such an ambitious hospital, that will be around for decades, demands a great deal of consideration and planning. In the case of the New Karolinska Solna, the planning process has been exceptionally well thought out and comprehensive.

White has been designing health care facilities ever since the company was founded. You might say that the victory in the completion for the New Karolinska Solna was the result of 50 years of preparation.

Around ten years ago, White’s experienced hospital expert Dick Lindberg investigated the county council’s assignment regarding whether the declining Karolinska hospital should be converted and improved on the basis of its existing structure. The conclusion was reached that such a project would last for at least ten years – and still not be good enough.

After the decision was taken to invest instead in a completely new hospital, a pilot study was conducted, followed by an international architecture competition. The original 17 offices competing for the assignment were whittled down to five, before finally we won the competition.

The New Karolinska Solna is a major investment, with a very high level of ambition as regards the creation that will be completed in 2015 – a very short space of time in hospital terms. The volume of work is enormous, but Bengt Svensson and his team still feel relatively calm.

“The foundations for this project are almost uniquely stable,” says Bengt Svensson. “We have had a broad perspective from the outset, with many views and a thorough analysis of the world around us. The objectives that form the basis for our work are extremely well thought through and relevant, and are based in turn on a great many pilot studies and analyses. Everything is now coming together as a compact whole throughout the entire process.”

White has been extremely active in its work of formulating goals and guidelines for the process. Over the past year, we have developed the project programme that will form the basis for decisions by the politicians (see links below). In this programme, we have tried to answer all relevant questions – in depth and from every perspective.

Six project goals constitute the foundations for the New Karolinska Solna project:

• Healthcare, research and education must be so integrated that they effectively support the development and dissemination of new knowledge for the care of seriously ill and injured patients.
• The project must create attractive, caring environments with high architectural values, both within and adjacent to the hospital.
• The care processes must be rationalised and the utilisation of resources optimised.
• As far as possible, the project must employ general solutions that permit the continual development of activities.
• The hospital and its activities must be given a clear, prioritised role in the city.
• The project must work on the basis of a sustainability perspective at all levels.

Each project goal incorporates a large number of sub-goals that the parties involved – project owners, consultants, architects and others – have to abide by.

The work is currently being conducted in clearly defined periods, where the various consultants and users work separately on specific issues. All the various parties then come together at hearings, at which those involved present the results of their work. The next step takes place in workshop form, with the aim of working through the various issues that have arisen along the way.

Work – hearing – workshop. To date we have progressed through three such periods, moving the project a long way forwards.

“This is an excellent way of working,” feels Linda Mattsson. “You can concentrate on one thing at a time, immerse yourself in a single issue until you have really got to the bottom of it.”

“The formulation of goals and sub-goals is a great help when pulling in trains of thought and testing arguments to ensure that work in every respect. However, it is extremely radical and demands great stamina,” explains Bengt Svensson.

Neither Bengt nor Linda has worked so clearly on the basis of formulated goals before – but they are absolutely in agreement that this is an excellent approach.

“The more we do it, the greater our sense that this is the way to work,” says Linda Mattsson. “I am convinced that we will use this method in many new projects in the future.”


New Karolinska Solna

In brief:
New Karolinska Solna is one of Sweden’s most comprehensive hospital projects ever, and a decisive venture in the realisation of the vision of Stockholm and the Mälardalen area as the world’s premier life science region.
Beställare:
NKS projektkansli och Stockholms läns landsting
Pictures:
White View
Read more:
www.locum.se
www.karolinska.se
www.sll.se

The people behind New Karolinska Solna

Architects:
Bengt Svensson, head of project, Alexander Trimboli, Anders Parment, Anders Thalberg, Anita Spelés Larsson, Anna Roander, Anna Sundin, Charlotte Ruben, Dick Lindberg, Elsa Törnros, Erik Kampmann, Eva Berg, Göran Hedström, Hans-Erik Staaf, Jan Sandström, Jesus Azpeitia, Karl Alexandersson, Koen Kragting, Krister Lindstedt, Lars Nilsson, Linda Mattsson, Lotta Lehmann, Lovisa Kihlborg, Oscar Nordquist, Owe Swanson, Per-Mats Nilsson, Peter Åberg, Rosmari Johansson
Landscape:
Anders Johansson, Jan Adolph, Therese Egnor
Environment:
Marie Hult, Linda Johansson
Project management:
Åke Wilen, Anna Ahlberg, Anita Saand-Grön

Figures

BTA new construction:
276,400 square metres
Operational area:
approx. 335,000 square metres
Number of beds:
600, of which approximately 125 intensive care and intermediary care beds and 75 post-op beds. In addition to this there are 100 day-care beds in a patient hotel.
Estimated occupation:
2015-2017
Estimated patient flow:
1,600 patient visits per day, of which approximately 175 emergency patients
Personnel:
6,000 employees, as well as around 1,000 researchers and students.
Investment cost:
SEK 14.1 billion including construction, client expenses, credit expenses, demolition, etc. This figure does not include equipment for the activities. (All figures in 2007 monetary value)