AW2 Architects, AINS Group and Nordic Healthcare Group export hospital design expertise to Latvia – new infection hospital in Riga
The design and consulting group AINS Group and AW2 Architects, part of the Group, are involved in the renewal of Riga East Clinical University Hospital. A new infectious diseases hospital and outpatient clinic will be built on the Soviet-era hospital campus.
– Finnish hospital design has a good reputation abroad. We have accumulated top expertise in architectural and hospital engineering, building information modeling and project management in the large renewal projects in Finland. Our expertise is appreciated internationally, says Project Manager and MedTech Unit Director Anssi Hakarinne from AINS Group.
The new buildings will be built on Soviet-era hospital campus. Photo: AW2 Architects
AW2 Architects, known as the lead architect of several major hospitals in Finland and the Baltics, is designing the two new University Hospital buildings together with the Latvian architectural firm NAMS. AINS Group is responsible for the medical technology design, structural engineering together with a local partner as well as the supervision of the building systems construction.
The renewal of Riga Eastern University Hospital is the first hospital project in Latvia where Finns and Latvians cooperate on such a large scale.
– We are exporting the Finnish outpatient clinic model to Riga. In this concept, the staff and patient areas are separated into three zones so that the reception and treatment rooms are between the waiting areas and staff back office. This model is in use in Finland, but not so much abroad, says lead architect Matti Anttila from AW2 Architects.
The glass gateway lightens the connection points of large building masses. Photo: AW2 Architects
Functional planning is the responsibility of Nordic Healthcare Group. The project utilizes Nordic participatory methods to define the hospital’s functional and capacity needs.
The campus of Riga Eastern University Hospital has currently general and teaching hospital and a cancer treatment unit in two buildings dating back to the 1950s and 70s. A new outpatient clinic center and a new main entrance connecting the old hospital buildings will be built in connection with the teaching hospital.
Riga´s Eastern University Hospital buildings are built in the 1950s and 1970s. Photo: AW2 Architects
Next to the old hospital area will embark a new hospital focusing on the treatment of infectious diseases and a logistics center. The new infectious diseases hospital combines services of many hospitals under the same roof.
At the moment, the hospital project is moving to the building permit phase. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2024.
AINS Group, the same group's AW2 Architects and Nordic Healthcare Group are members of the Integrated Hospital Design Alliance (IHDA), which promotes the export of technically and functionally high-quality Finnish hospital design expertise to Europe.
Further information:
Anssi Hakarinne, Project Manager, Head of Hospital Technology, AINS Group
tel. 040 659 8300
anssi.hakarinne@ains.fi
Matti Anttila, Lead Architect, AW2 Architects
tel. 040 861 3740
matti.anttila@aw2.fi
Henry Pesonen, Director, Nordic Healthcare Group
tel. 050 530 0548
henry.pesonen@nhg.fi
