PROJECT SHOWCASE

Hospital Nova
JKMM Architects
Finland

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The Team

Putting happiness at the forefront of design

Established 25 years ago, JKMM Architects is one of the leading architecture practices in Finland, combining expertise in architecture, interior design, urban design, furniture design, graphic design, and art.
JKMM’s philosophy is that architecture should do something meaningful and contribute to society. Finland has repeatedly been rated as the world’s happiest country and the practice works on the basis that the best model for a sustainable society is a happy one.
With more than 100 employees, JKMM is the largest Apple-based Archicad user in Finland and has been working with the software for more than 20 years.

Project name: Hospital Nova
Project location: Jyväskylä, Finland
Project type: Healthcare
Building area: 116 000 m2
Completion date: 2021
Software used: Graphisoft Archicad, Graphisoft BIMcloud, Rhino Grasshopper, Solibri, BIMcollab, various MEP software

Innovation

Designing an efficient, patient-centered hospital for the future

The first central hospital built in Finland since the 1970s, Hospital Nova represents a new generation of healthcare designed to give a unique experience for patients and staff.
JKMM was responsible for the principal design, architectural design, ‘hot hospital’ design and interior architecture, working alongside a hospital specialist.
Hospital Nova is built around an innovative concept of four distinct functions which are organized around a central walkway more akin to a shopping mall or an airport.
The hospital is standardized throughout, improving efficiency in processes, spaces, technical installations and equipment, allowing full flexibility for future expansion or change. Moreover, changes in logistics design and operation have delivered a significant 10% reduction in annual operating costs.

Wellbeing

A focus on wellbeing and care

The ‘hot hospital’ provides 24/7 care including emergency, diagnostics, intensive care, and surgery. Meanwhile, outpatients are treated in a ‘healthcare shopping mall’, where standardized consultation rooms are arranged along the main interior atrium. Care revolves around the patients who remain in one place while the medical specialists come to them.
Complex sweeping stairways add a touch of theatrical elegance to the central spaces. Natural daylight and views are maximized throughout, bringing a sense of physical and mental wellbeing to patients and staff alike.
A key goal of the hospital is to put the patient first. All wards are single occupancy, with en-suite bathrooms and provision for overnight visitors. This is more relaxing for patients, aiding wellbeing while also minimizing cross-infection.

Archicad was key in every phase from massing studies to construction coordination of this major project.
Teemu Kurkela
Founding Partner, JKMM, Finland

Design

Teamwork brings Archicad designs together

A team of 30 architects worked on the Hospital Nova project together with 100 engineers over a ten-year period.
Archicad was used for all design phases including the concept design and massing; individual zones; detailed walls and spaces; the functional design for the ‘hot hospital’; and the interior design. Thanks to BIMcloud and Archicad Teamwork, multiple individuals could work on different elements of the project at the same time.
Complex elements such as the curving lobby stairs were modeled in Grasshopper and Rhino, with the designs then imported as objects into Archicad.
Meanwhile, Archicad hotlink modules were used for the hospital’s 18 stairwells and elevator groups, as well as the structural designer’s columns and beams, to ensure consistency and efficiency.

Learn more about BIMcloud and Teamwork here

Learn more about the Rhino-Grasshopper-Archicad Toolset

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We had to coordinate the work of 30 architects and about 100 engineers. Archicad and BIMcloud were the key tools in this task.
Teemu Kurkela
Founding Partner, JKMM, Finland

Communication

Digital tools aid stakeholder communication

During the decade-long project, JKMM ran regular workshops and meetings with hundreds of doctors and medical staff to discuss the functional solutions for each unit within the hospital. In the early stages, the team used PDF floor plans and JPEG images to illustrate the plans. As the project progressed, the Archicad model was invaluable to demonstrate the developed designs in these collaborative meetings.
While the hospital was being built, JKMM supervised the 700-person strong construction site and information was shared with the contractors via IFC, directly exported from the Archicad model.
IFC files were also used by external consultants hired by the hospital to create 3D floor plans, including the furniture, which were shared with the furniture manufacturers and suppliers.

Explore, present, and coordinate with BIMx! Share Your Archicad Project with BIMx is a self-paced online course on how to export your Archicad model to BIMx and how to explore the BIMx model on any device.

Collaboration

Industrial scale collaboration with IFC and Archicad

Throughout the Hospital Nova project, the architects and engineers designed in 3D, with everything imported into the central Archicad model via IFC using Open BIM principles. Once imported into Archicad, each of the different engineering models could be clearly identified.
The complexity of the project and the number of teams involved meant that 20 different IFC models were combined in one Archicad model. Collisions were managed with the help of Solibri and BIM Collab during weekly one-day BIM workshops with the architects, engineers and data modeling coordinator.
Once the structural models had been fully coordinated in Archicad, JKMM finalized the spaces to create a very detailed 3D model which was brought to life during the 3.5-year construction phase.

Learn more about Collaboration and Open BIM

We combined 20 different IFC models from our consultants into our architectural model in Archicad. This was a must when it came to collision detection.
Teemu Kurkela
Founding Partner, JKMM, Finland