Since the Admiraal de Ruyter Hospital in Vlissingen no longer met current standards and was too large to exploit, atelier PRO was asked to design a renovation with partial new construction. Greenery and an abundance of daylight characterise the design. These essentials add to an optimal stay and to a well-functioning transparent building for patients, visitors and personnel.

Healthcare in Zeeland
Zeeland is shrinking: the population is declining because there are less babies being born. The province is shrinking because the young Zeelanders are leaving to study elsewhere and never return. Their parents stay and get old. Zeeland is in fact the province with the greatest number of elderly and aging. For now, there is a great need for appropriate healthcare but it is evident that this too will decrease in the long run. How do you make the hospital exploitable then?

Renovation
The hospital on the Koudekerkseweg was renovated into a clinical medical centre for planned health care and diagnostics, with two operating rooms, high tech imaging facilities, outpatient clinics and day care treatment.
A third of the existing hospital building has been demolished. That way a good part of the property costs was drastically reduced. One third of the hospital is fully renovated to keep the most important main care facilities available in West-Walcheren. Lastly, one third can be rented for office space if there is interest, but until then it will be maintained as it is.

The hospital remained in operation during the renovation work.

Crowd funding
The revitalisation was financed through crowd funding. This is a scoop in the Dutch hospital industry.

New construction
The new construction on the front side of the existing building has given the hospital a new appearance. With a relatively small modification, the routing was improved for better insight and overview.

The big glass surfaces allow for lots of daylight, right into the remodelled wards. The new garden on the original patio not only creates a nice atmosphere but also plays a role for the indoor orientation. From the central meeting point for patients and visitors alike, all of the units are easily located.

Garden

Where the old situation was characterised by asphalt and parking, green dominates the new situation. The garden is finished off with several types of grasses. Existing trees were kept and new ones planted. A hardened pathway to walk through the garden was created for pedestrians arriving at the taxi stand or the kiss & ride stop from the Koudekerkseweg. There will be no parking in the garden for personnel or visitors.

The garden forms a green passageway to the renewed hospital and existing radio-therapeutic centre ZRTI.