New Somatic Bispebjerg Hospital, Denmark

Being added to an existing hospital campus project in the Bispebjerg region of Copenhagen, Denmark, that will include a somatic hospital, a psychiatry hospital, laboratory/logistics building and a parking garage, the new hospital will help meet the region’s demands. The new hospital complex is made up of six towers connected via a diagnostic/treatment base that reflects existing historical buildings in Bispebjerg. The exterior facades are a brick ombre pattern, fading from red to yellow as they move up to the top of the building. Simultaneously, the project addresses its surroundings while defining a unique architectural language for itself. The interiors of the buildings are influenced by both Danish and American hospital typologies. The acoustic design has been based mainly on Danish Standards while British Standards have been used in absence of local Standards. Based on the existing outdoor noise climate from the City of Copenhagen noise maps and the activities in the loading bay on the North-West facade, the envelope sound insulation has been established to reduce external noise to a level compatible with the maximum residual noise level caused by the outdoor sources. Sound insulation requirements have also addressed airborne and impact sound so that spaces are not adversely affected by noise from adjacent parts of the building. Noise and vibration targets have been defined for building services equipment in order to meet the background noise levels established for the different spaces. For what concerned the noise egress to the nearest noise sensitive receivers recommendations were provided to meet the Danish Ministry of Environment – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria. In addition, specific vibration targets and related design have been provided for vibration-sensitive areas such as laboratories including sensitive equipment. The room acoustics within the large central open stair connecting each floor have been considered to control potential noise travelling between floors and to avoid noise build-up in a big open space. In addition to the large central open stair, the room acoustics of office spaces and laboratories have been taken care of.