Chapel of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital

Chapel, 's- Hertogenbosch

Striking on the outside, quiet on the inside

The chapel of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital is a place for reflection and comfort for everyone. A striking building, which - partly because of its organic shape - forms a beautiful contrast with the square shapes of the Jeroen Bosch Hospital.

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The Jeroen Bosch Hospital is a hospital of the future, in which there is literally more room for the patient and his environment, in which faith and hope play important roles. This is why a modern chapel was realized in one of the enclosed gardens, connected to the hospital by means of the boulevard. The building serves as a space for prayer and meditation, but concerts and lectures are regularly held here as well.

Striking and quiet

The Chapel consists of two parts: a tower containing the Chapel of Mary, and the Chapel itself, consisting of a space formed by six arched shells. From the outside, the zinc-clad building sections form an expressive sculpture. But inside, the interior is quiet and subdued. Strips of window are situated where the shells overlap, allowing the light to skim the smoothly plastered walls. Both spaces contain restored stained glass works of art, made at one time by 's-Hertogenbosch artist Marius de Leeuw (1915-2000) for the Caroluskapel in 's-Hertogenbosch. These windows provide a pleasant, diffuse light. The dark wood floor, the sparse lighting and the warm natural light combine to create an intimate atmosphere.

Rock in the middle of the space

In the middle of the Chapel's hushed space stands a 'rock', a naturally shaped block with a balcony and room for the choir at the top. Its sides are clad in slate, giving the rock an imposing and striking air. The organ, which is made of wood, tin,lead and iron, has been especially designed for the chapel and suits the unique, modern architecture particularly well. In the Rock, at the Chapel's ground floor level, is the sacristy.

Complex construction

The chapel's load-bearing construction consists of a concrete floor, topped by a steel construction clad in wood. Both for the building itself and for fitting the organ, we used a BIM (Building Information Model). The unorthodox shape, the structure of the roof covering construction and the arched surfaces on all sides required quite a bit of brain work and improvisation. Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of all involved, the Chapel has become a building of which everyone who worked on it or who uses it can be proud.