Copenhagen, Denmark
2011 - 2021
Herlev Hospital
Inspired by the well documented healing benefits of nature and daylight for patients, our 56,000 m2 extension to Herlev Hospital holds a new emergency room, religious center, and women and children’s center – including a pediatric and maternity ward.
Project details
Our 56,000 m² extension to Herlev Hospital introduces two new circular buildings – balanced on a rectangular plinth – that house a new emergency department and a comprehensive women and children’s center. The configuration not only optimizes hospital flow but also softens the institutional character traditionally associated with large healthcare complexes.
The larger of the two buildings contains the emergency department, equipped with MRI scanners, CT scanners, and X-ray facilities. The upper floors hold nearly 240 patient rooms arranged for intuitive navigation and proximity to care. The smaller circular volume is home to the new women and children’s center, with departments for maternity, pediatric, adolescent, and women’s health. Around 45 inpatient rooms are located on its upper floors. The center for women and children opened in 2021.
“With this new center at Herlev Hospital, we’re taking a step towards a human-oriented health care system that does not just look at a patient as someone in need of medication and surgery, but as a person, a human being, with emotional and perhaps spiritual needs.”
A contrast between old and new
Rather than replicate the hospital’s original 120-meter-tall tower structure, the new extension’s design embraces smaller volumes and layered spaces to create a “city” scale. These volumes connect through a new ground-level foyer and system of corridors that frame outdoor corridors and connect with the existing facilities. A large green area centered around a historic auditorium reinforces the landscape as part of the site experience.
The extension introduces curved, flexible forms, providing spatial fluidity. The two circular buildings are staggered to create sheltered outdoor spaces, improving access to daylight and enhancing the experience of moving through the site. This contrast in forms represents a broader shift in the design of hospitals: from efficiency toward spaces rooted in flexibility and human connection.
Healing light
Based on the documented healing benefits of nature and daylight, the extension’s layout prioritizes access to green courtyards, lush roof gardens, and a generous central green “heart” that serves as a focal point of the new development. These natural elements support reduced stress levels and improved healing outcomes – principles supported by a growing body of medical research.
Common areas are filled with light and openness, inviting patients, families, and staff into a calming and restorative environment. In contrast, private patient rooms are fitted with smaller, carefully positioned windows that allow views out while preserving a sense of seclusion. This design approach creates a balance between transparency and privacy, enabling patients to heal in comfort.
Space for reflection
The new facilities also include a religious center, which embraces the differing needs of the hospital’s diverse patients. Completed in 2019, the Center for Reflection and Faith at Herlev Hospital offers a quiet, inclusive space for patients and families. The facility is composed of four primary rooms arranged within a circular outer wall: a Christian chapel, a Muslim prayer room oriented toward Mecca, a non-denominational prayer space, and a shared commons.
Reflective pools and plantings fill the space between these inner rooms and the circular outer wall, offering natural insulation from the outside world. This interplay of water, plants and daylight serves to further the space’s role as a place of healing. Recent health research suggests that physical stress symptoms, such as blood pressure and heart rate, drop after even a few minutes’ exposure to natural elements. The scent of rich earth and crisp green foliage stand in contrast to the sterile palette of a hospital corridor, further emphasizing the enclosed tranquility within the building.
01/03
Next project
CERN Building 777
Explore project