New construction of the Isala Clinic in Zwolle with Gira System 55 switch range in pure white
The "Isala" in Zwolle is currently the largest general clinic in the Netherlands. The various structures of the new construction, which opened in August 2013, are reminiscent of joined butterflies with playful colours and shapes. This design deliberately reduces the perceived size of the enormous complex. After all, 47,000 people are cared for here every year and 2,000 caregivers work on site. The small units and continually new views provide orientation. The association of architects AMI comprised of Alberts & Van Huut, Alberts, Van Huut & Partners and a/d Amstel architecten was responsible for the fresh concept and realising the new construction. The organic architecture and green environment are meant to encourage patients to recover quickly and rest. The result is a modern, sustainable and future-fit hospital whose full dimensions can only be grasped from an aerial perspective.
Because the structure of the complex which covers at least 108,000 m2 is divided into individual "butterfly" structures, patients can quickly find their way around their direct environments and rest assured that they are receiving individual care and are in good hands. Patients' rooms are located in close proximity to treatment and examination rooms. The building is inspired by its surroundings: it is open, surrounded by green spaces and located near the historic city centre of Zwolle. The architects included these elements – there is an open passage on the south side of the building, a street that meanders along the parts of the building. There are symbols throughout the entire structure for orientation purposes. Nature can be found in the green courtyards, roof gardens and atria which mark the transition from the indoors to the outdoors.
Each structure features its own unique rich colour. The architects consciously avoided classical rectangles and chose to use exciting polygon shapes – even in the windows. There are angled outer walls, interior galleries and skylights. A different sophisticated image is created in each direction. This building shows us that the times of endless, depressing hallways may be over.
Each butterfly has its own function. The laboratories, sterilisation facilities and logistics centres are located in the first one. Underground passages connect it to all the parts of the building. With its eight floors, the second building is the highest. Clinical areas are on the lower three floors, with wards located above them. Operating theatres, intensive care wards, outpatient departments, radiology, nuclear medicine and emergency rooms are housed in the third building complex. The heliport is located on its roof. The paediatric and neonatal wards are found in the fourth butterfly.
Isala Hospital is a comfortable building which is entirely sustainable, both from an ecological and economical point of view. A compact building shell featuring high-quality insulation and multiple glazing prevents unnecessary heat losses in winter and heat accumulation in summer. Geothermal energy is used to cool the building in summer and heat it in winter. Even the lift is efficient: when it stops, the released energy is stored and subsequently used to start it up.
A team of specialised partners was established especially for the Isala new construction project. It was called Installatie Combinatie Isala (ICI) and consisted of Unica Installatiegroep, Croon Elektrotechniek B.V., Kropman Installatietechniek and BAM Techniek Regio Oost. The project was headed up by D2B, Design 2 Build, the construction consortium of BAM Utiliteitsbouw bv Regio Oost and ICI. Within the team, the consortium was responsible for planning and installing all the home and building technology.
Thorough and detailed advance planning is particularly crucial for such a complex building project, including the planning of installation layouts and installation at the construction site. This is the only way to ensure the building phase is smooth and fast. In doing so, waste, downtimes and downtime costs are minimised.
Because all the cables can be laid above the suspended intermediate ceilings, complex work to install cable ducts in the wall was unnecessary during the actual construction phase. All the technical systems including the lighting, fire alarm, burglar alarm and access control systems were realised by ICI, as was installation in the operating theatres. The foundation is a Gira KNX system which networks all relevant components to a Gira FacilityServer – for increased security and convenience, as well as the efficient use of energy.
For this reason, Gira automatic control switches were installed in bathrooms and WCs to switch lighting on when the room is entered and switch it off again shortly after the room is exited. However, the majority of lighting is not only based on presence, but also adapted to the brightness of the daylight. For example, lighting switches on in hallways at night, but when it gets brighter at daybreak, the artificial lighting automatically dims down. This ensures that a defined brightness value is maintained without wasting light energy unnecessarily. To prevent rooms from overheating in summer, the blinds automatically lower when there is direct sunlight. In addition, rooms which are not being used are not heated and cooled superfluously. The heliport is also integrated in the intelligent system. If a helicopter is planning to land or take off, platform lighting switches on and the blinds of the adjacent windows raise automatically.
The Gira Standard 55 system in pure white with wider frames and a wide variety of integrated functions was selected as the switch range (available in the Netherlands only). For example, the rooms in the paediatric ward have socket outlets with child protection. Orange SCHUKO socket outlet inserts mark the computer network with overvoltage protection, while green inserts signal the failure-safe mains safeguarded against brief dropouts and overvoltage.
