EGM was chosen out of nine international architects by the Finnish KSSHP to design a new hospital in Jyväskylä. This hospital of approximately 70,000 m2 will offer healthcare services to 250,000 inhabitants. On 4th October the contract was signed and the design work was officially kicked off. In the first phase of the project, EGM's expertise is used to prepare the total hospital concept, as well as the schedule of requirements.
Challenges in healthcare
This hospital is the first completely new hospital to be built in Finland since 20 years. Healthcare in Finland is facing the same challenges as in the Netherlands, with important themes like controlling cost and adapting healthcare to the aging of the population. Experts
Prior to the selection, KSSHP was extensively advised by experts from the Institute for Healthcare (Sotera) of the Aalto University (Helsinki). They visited several leading European hospitals including some hospitals designed by EGM.
Abilityand expertise
The decisive factor was found in EGM's ability to create concepts where patient orientation goes hand in hand with efficiency. In addition, the KSHHP recognized EGM’s knowledge and ability to convert the new care processes into flexible spatial models. In terms of experience, KSSHP also endorsed the expertise of EGM architecten to visually downsize large hospitals to a human scale with a high degree of patient friendliness.
Impulses for Finnish healthcare
KSSHP is short for Keski-Suomen Sairaanhoitopiiri or Central Finland Health Care District. This district, to which Jyväskylä and 22 other municipalities belong, offers healthcare to a geographical area as large as the Netherlands. With this new hospital, KSSHP gives a new impulse to the Finnish healthcare. This project requires local presence and therefore EGM architecten is working together with the Finnish architect JKMM Arkkitehdit