Berit Paracelsus-Klinik - E

LOCATION/HISTORY

The new building for the Berit Paracelsus Clinic is located in the village of Speicher (AR) on a hill of historical interest, the «Vögelinseg», about 1000 metres above sea level. At the Battle of Vögelinsegg in 1403, the Appenzellers gained their independence from the ecclesiastical principality of St.Gallen. The Berit Paracelsus Clinic is one of the top Swiss addresses for orthopaedics and spinal surgery and is regarded as the leading clinic in Eastern Switzerland for operations on and rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system. As part of its expansion, the Berit Paracelsus Clinic decided to relocate from its former location in Teufen (AR) to a new building on Vögelinsegg. The Vögelinsegg location not only offers wonderful views of the Appenzell region, but also has good public transport connections: Appenzell Railways has a stop near the clinic, and St.Gallen can be reached by car in just a few minutes. A small clinic campus was established on the Vögelinsegg in 2016 and 2017: Dr. Gerhard Stiegler’s Bellavista eye clinic is immediately adjacent to the Berit Paracelsus Clinic. Both projects were developed by HRS Real Estate AG.

DESIGN/ARCHITECTURE

The architects have incorporated the new building respectfully into this historical area. The building was constructed using a conventional method of concrete cast in-situ and is strongly aligned with the original slope; the gentle, interconnecting angles of the façades permit differing views of the individual segments. In their choice of materials, the guiding principal was to create a hotel with medical services – not a hospital with hotel services. Colour schemes and materials are reminiscent of hotel and apartment buildings. The rows of windows, interrupted on the upper floors by wooden façade cladding, are a typical feature of Appenzell architecture. Wood is the main material used as flooring in the patient areas – the restaurant, bedrooms and examination rooms. The blue ceilings in patients’ rooms have a cooling effect, which is beneficial after an operation. The grass-green bathrooms create a pleasant contrast. The spatial layout in the building with a volume of 62,000 m3, which is equivalent to around 60 single-family homes, is arranged vertically. The Berit Paracelsus Clinic thus extends over six floors. The second basement level houses technical facilities and store rooms, with four operating theatres including sterilisation and auxiliary rooms on the floor above. The basement provides space for the polyclinic with physiotherapy, a therapy pool, consultation rooms and radiology. The ground floor houses reception, a public restaurant and clinic administration while patients’ rooms are located on the first and second floors. Rooms are accessed via the main staircase, which sets an important architectural accent – particularly with its imposing 25-metre-high atriums that bring daylight down into the parking garage and the operating tract. In addition, more than 50 pendulum lights and precisely cut-out windows characterise the staircase. With their views of the charming hills of the Appenzell region, the windows act like picture frames.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Alongside the Berit Paracelsus Clinic, work on the new Bellavista Eye Clinic was carried out in parallel for nine months. The general contractor, HRS Real Estate AG, was thus able to exploit synergies. For example, the entrance to the underground car park at the Berit Clinic was built through the building perimeter of the Bellavista underground car park. However, the overlaps between the two projects required precise planning and coordination. The Berit Paracelsus Clinic is located on steep terrain with an altitude difference of around 20 metres. Two-thirds of the excavation therefore consisted of the removal of rock, which of course caused some noise emissions. A massive retaining wall with seven anchor points was constructed as slope protection. An important Swisscom cable ran through the building site. To prevent any damage, it was suspended high above the site perimeter During construction, hygiene regulations important for a health clinic had to be observed. For example, hygiene sluices were needed for entering the sterilisation room. When installing the ventilation systems, the pressure difference between «clean» and «contaminated» rooms had to be taken into account. Due to periods of heavy snowfall, construction had to be halted for six weeks. Strong winds and dense fog also delayed the construction process. Despite the tight schedule, the new building for the Berit Paracelsus Clinic was handed over on time to the principal.

ENERGY CONCEPT/SUSTAINABILITY

With its extensively greened flat roofing, the clinic complies with the latest standards in terms of sustainability. The new building is connected to the Speicher-Trogen district heating network of the St.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG (SAK) power utility company. The SAK district heating network generates CO2-neutral heat from indigenous wood.