The Orbis Medical Center sets an example, not only in its state-of-the-art technical equipment and its responsible treatment of both staff and patients, it also excels in the quality of its architectural design. As a modern medical centre it combines hospital wards, doctors’ surgeries and specialist clinics with a research and competence centre providing 350 jobs.

With the Orbis Medical Center, the Dutch practice Bonnema Architects has created a highly advanced healthcare building, which, with 425 beds across twelve wards, eight operating theatres and one hundred consultation rooms, offers ample space for professional medical treatment.

The main entrance at the gable end of the building leads into a 265-metre-long atrium space. Clever zoning means that, despite its size, it does not feel overwhelming.

The space serves as a central meeting and distribution point. Daylight enters partly through the façade on one side, but especially through the glazed roof areas, which are carefully designed to prevent overheating in summer.

At night or when there is insufficient daylight, the space is lit through a combination of direct and indirect light sources. Spotlights on walls and ceiling in combination with strong uplighters and large wall-mounted mirrors ensure a bright, comfortable and welcoming environment whatever the weather.

Separate access points for visitors and staff and good internal layouts keep walking distances short and facilitate smooth work processes. The patient areas are accessible directly from the atrium, with all consultation rooms located on the lower floors.

The rooms are available for use by all specialist and general practitioners based at the centre. A sophisticated appointment system helps streamline the service and allocates rooms according to demand. The hospital wards are located on the quieter floors on the top three levels of the building.

All patient rooms in the Orbis Medical Center are spacious individual rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Similar to the atrium, a combination of direct and indirect lighting offers both comfort and a pleasant ambience for the patients and functionality for hospital staff.

All rooms have large sliding doors, so patients can choose to what extent they wish to take part in the general life of the ward or keep their privacy. Instead of soulless communal rooms, the generous corridors next to the rooms have been designed to accommodate cosy lounge areas with a homely atmosphere, offering a place to meet, or just to sit and relax.

A separate access at the back provides doctors and staff with their own space, away from the general public. Changing rooms in the basement connect directly to the area behind the consultation rooms, which also gives access to the integrated research and competence centre. In addition to the work spaces and attractively designed consultation rooms, this area also accommodates a separate staff canteen.

The four different zones within the Orbis Medical Center – public areas, meeting points, patient rooms and work spaces – consciously apply light and colour to have a positive effect on the users. For example, the atrium uses greens and other natural shades to create a warm, bright and friendly atmosphere, while staff work spaces use cool, refreshing colours to create a stimulating and attractive work environment.

The outside of the building, too, reflects the carefully designed zoning of its interior. The dominant façade elements are red bricks and silver-grey cladding. Technical installations are located in a recessed area on the second floor, indicated on the outside by a continuous band of glass blocks, which is lit at night. The external areas surrounding the building have also been landscaped to create a pleasant environment that promotes healing and speeds up patients’ recovery