Isala Meppel hospital is home to one of the most sustainable, modern and comfortable hospitals in the Netherlands thanks to Deerns’ proactive, expert input. The entire hospital is off the national gas-supply grid, making it the first fossil-fuel free hospital in the Netherlands
New design
The most important points for attention in new construction were sustainability, hygiene and a flexible use of space and comfort. The new design was inspired by an old settlement in the Reest, the area where the hospital is located. The greenery around the building matches the surrounding nature reserve Het Reestdal which also adds to the overall healing environment.
Sustainability and e-health
Sustainability and the use of fossil fuels are a hot topic which spurred the choice for the upgrade to becoming a smart hospital which was also fossil-fuel free. Another challenge was to enable health care from a distance, or e-health. The ICT facilities give doctors the opportunity to visit patients and assess their health in virtual environment without compromising the quality of the health service. The new building meets the highest requirements in terms of sustainability, energy saving, hygiene (Legionella control), flexible use of space and user comfort.
Within the construction team, Deerns focused on the design of the climate system, installations, acoustics, building physics and fire safety. The building also meets the requirements for Nearly Energy Neutral Buildings (NZEB), the highest quality of the Environmental Meter of the Environmental Platform for Care Sector and derivatives. All-in all the smart and fossil-free infrastructure design creates a smart healing environment for all patients and healthcare personnel.
" Especially when designing hospitals, technology is a very important aspect to achieve an efficient and compact hospital building. Deerns has proven experience in designing compact but flexible and future proof hospital buildings.
