Contemporary and flexible hospital for outpatient clinic and day care treatment
Kennemer Gasthuis was established in 1991 after a merger between St. Joannes de Deo and St. Elisabeth’s Gasthuis in Haarlem and Zeeweg Hospital in IJmuiden. In the years after the merger, the hospital underwent radical renovation and new development. It disposed of two outdated locations and, to replace them, EGM designed a contemporary, flexible hospital for the outpatient clinic and day care treatment. The third location, the former St. Elisabeth’s Gasthuis, was retained. Over a period of six years, this location underwent a radical renovation and extension in phases. This was a complex intervention, the aim of which was to reorganize the hospital both logistically and functionally.
Built in the early 1970s, the building is characterized by the traditional three-part division: clinic, functional departments and outpatient clinic. However, over the years, departments were expanded, relocated or added. The outpatient clinic and day care grew considerably, and the average stay in the clinic was drastically reduced. Increasing shortages of space in the outpatient clinic and excess space in the wards became problematic. Owing to the many necessary alterations and changes to the building, the main entrance and the entrance to the outpatient clinic had become chaotic. Despite that, the building still possesses unmistakeable architectural and structural qualities. It was a building for which renovation was certainly anything but a second option.
A new structural plan was drawn up from the patient’s perspective. Poorly functioning routes made way for a clear structure in which patients can find their way around effortlessly with a minimum of signage. One of the necessary architectural interventions involved relocating the main entrance. A new central hall replaced the former emergency care unit and provides access, through new openings, to the diagnostic departments and outpatient clinic. A large glazed wall in the spacious hall creates a ‘soothing’ environment, with plenty of daylight and contact with the outside world.