The Rhine-Westphalian University of Technology (RWTH) Hospital, which opened in 1985, is the largest hospital building in Europe, with an area of 130,000 m2. The most spectacular element of the project by architects Wolfgang Weber and Peter Brand was the stairwells that rise above the building like watchtowers, but there are no less original multicolored pipes of outside communications and "super-functional" interior design.
Since 2008, this high-tech specimen has received the status of an architectural monument, so the new wing with a total area of 35,000 m2 is almost completely underground so as not to disturb its appearance. However, the authors of the project provided the premises of their building with both natural light and views of the green space from the outside. In addition, the roof of the new building will become a real park.
The entrance to the building will rise above the ground making it easy for visitors to find. Inside, a spacious public lobby is planned, a surgical ward with 31 operating rooms (four more operating rooms will serve outpatients), and an intensive care unit for 50 people. An important element of the project will be “hubs” for employees on the operating room floor, which should increase their efficiency.
