The New Karolinska Solna is one of the world’s biggest and most ambitious hospital projects. The hospital was completed in 2017 and offers highly qualified specialist care and a world-class research environment. The objective was to enhance the integration between healthcare, research and education and ensuring knowledge transfer between research and healthcare through joint use of resources and skills, which places great demand of how the buildings are planned and designed.
The building features low-energy designs, a ventilation system that uses less energy, intelligent processing of chemical waste and ensuring materials used in construction are resource-efficient. The building is designed to consume half of the energy of a similar hospital and has received the environmental certification Miljöbyggnad Gold, while also being certified according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards.
Ramboll was involved in the project from an early stage, initially in preliminary studies into the possibility of building a new hospital and subsequently in the preparation of tender documents and in reviewing the documents received. Ramboll was commissioned by Skanska Healthcare, responsible for the design and the building process for the New Karolinska Solna, to carry out project planning of the building structures. Ramboll had the design responsibility for the entire hospital building and the research building, as well as for 8 radiation therapy rooms – just over 75% of the project’s total building structures.
“Demands of flexibility and robustness are very high, which presents us with interesting challenges,” says Per Hammarström, Ramboll’s project manager. “The technical equipment in modern hospitals is extremely sensitive to vibrations, for example – and since all the spaces in the building have to be suitable for multiple uses, the vibration requirements are very high for the whole structure.”
Stockholm County Council also stated that the New Karolinska Solna must be executed as a BIM project. Ramboll’s tasks have therefore included a significant amount of work on coordination between the various parties in the project, as well as on how different design programs and other software can be integrated.
Key facts
Gross area (GFA) 320,000 m²
10 700 rooms in total
36 operating theatres
8 radiation therapy rooms
More images and information can be seen on the Skanska project page
