Bonheiden, Imelda Hospital | Bright, accessible and with a friendly atmosphere

The renovated entrance to the Imelda Hospital in Bonheiden immediately catches the eye when you step across the newly landscaped esplanade. Behind the project's contemporary architecture lies a clear vision that prepares the Imelda Hospital for the future. Technical director Stefaan Claeys has the floor.

Why was the entrance to the hospital renewed?

Stefaan Claeys: "The entrance to our hospital had been unchanged since the early 1980s. Meanwhile, we continued to grow and the way we welcome patients and visitors changed. In other words, the old hall had become too small and was no longer adapted to today's work processes."

"Now we have centralized everything around blood collection and sampling near the new hall, whereas previously those functions were scattered deep within the hospital. The current way of working is much easier for our patients. For the same reason, we have provided a visitor cafeteria in our new hall. Previously, there was only one cafeteria. It was located deep inside the hospital and was open to staff members, visitors and patients. Sometimes it was difficult to find a free spot there. Now we have sufficient capacity again."

"Our need for additional meeting rooms was another reason for starting the project. Those rooms can be found on the second floor, above the new hall. All the technical facilities are in place so that from now on our doctors can consult with external colleagues via videoconferencing."

Was this a one-time project or does the renewal fit into a broader picture?

"We are constantly innovating and that is necessary, because in the last 10 years our way of working has changed enormously. The length of stay of patients is getting shorter and there is the shift from hospitalization to day hospital. That requires an adapted infrastructure to support the daequal flow of visitors and patients. The maternity ward, the pediatric day hospital, the breast clinic and the diabetes convention already received a facelift. Now that the new entrance is finished, we are moving forward with other projects. For example, we are in the midst of building a new hybrid operating room. That will be operational in the spring of 2020."

The new hall binds together all visitor logistics around steel collections.

How important were energy conservation and sustainability in the new entrance project?

"Sustainability - along with functionality and aesthetics - was decisive in all the choices we made. Think of the green roof, the underfloor heating and energy-saving techniques for ventilation, the optimal light in the hall and so much more. Sustainability is important in all our renovation projects, by the way. At the beginning of 2019, for example, we installed more than 1,000 solar panels on the hospital roof. Together with cogeneration, those panels provide 22 percent of the energy we consume. Eventually, we want to move to 50 percent green energy."

How did the design of the new hall come about?

"We partnered with Boeckx Architects. Of course, a lot of preparatory work precedes such a project. In a first phase, we mapped out all the requirements in terms of aesthetics, sustainability and functionality. This was done in a working group in which the stakeholders were represented. Then we worked out the details in smaller groups. With that, the architects went to work."

Composite tiles and pink benches are eye-catching items in the new hallway.

"The result can therefore safely be called more than successful. The light and accessibility are immediately apparent, as is the friendly atmosphere that the hall exudes. Still, it is a large area: with the new hall, the hospital became about 1,800 m² larger. Visitors quickly feel at home there, and that was at the top of our wish list for the designers."

"During the design phase, we regularly had spirited discussions about the materials chosen. For example, the composite tiles were not an obvious choice because, according to some, they seemed a bit old-fashioned. The pink benches were also met with question marks. Fortunately, everyone is wildly enthusiastic about the final result. We get only positive comments."

Did the work go smoothly?

"Without any significant problems. On April 1, 2018, we temporarily moved the entrance and on October 18, 2019, the new hall was commissioned. We chose to tender the project in several parts and had several contractors for structural work, techniques, plumbing and finishing. The architectural firm was in charge of coordination."

You were also looking for a partner to operate the new visitor cafeteria.

"True. Through a tender we ended up with Lunch Garden. We chose to outsource the cafeteria because catering is not part of our core business. At the same time, we wanted to make sure that the appearance of that space fit in perfectly with the other parts of the new hall. So we made good arrangements about that. The cafeteria was named Lambertini after the 14th century Italian nun Imelda Lambertini. She gave the sisters of the Convent of Bethlehem inspiration when, in 1933, they were looking for a name for the forerunner of the hospital they founded here in Bonheiden. That completes the circle."    

Open technology for HVAC

The renovation of the hall at Imeldaziekenhuis also included a new HVAC installation. ABN Klimatisatie from Bilzen was assigned that part of the project. By combining open technology and a convincing project approach, they made the difference.

"Imeldaziekenhuis chose us as the main partner for the air conditioning," begins business manager Jo Nelissen. "We installed the HVAC system and underfloor heating, an air group with heat recovery and a chiller for cold water."

"ABN Climatization has a different approach than the average HVAC partner. Those traditional installers usually choose a closed system from the well-known HVAC brands and chiller manufacturers, but in doing so they create a vendor lock-in. If you want to expand such an existing installation at a later stage, that requires a substantial investment."

The new entrance is a major expansion for the hospital.

"We work brand-independently and through an open platform that you control with IoT. On that basis, we provided an intelligent and future-proof HVAC system at Imelda Hospital. Think secure data communication between the HVAC system and the cloud and with various drivers with IP interface, such as Modbus, BACnet, OPC, KNX and SQL. This gives Imelda Hospital more freedom of choice."

"Our design and installation teams worked closely together for this project, allowing us to complete all the work in 3 months. Our choice of project management with BIM also ensured a smooth project progression."