Healthcare architecture rooted in nature

Healing Environment as a starting point

The design of the new facility is rooted in the Healing Environment philosophy, the belief that architecture, materials and greenery have a measurable impact on how people feel. Bureau Berndsen drew inspiration from National Park the Veluwe and the surrounding Apeldoorn landscape. This is reflected in natural colours, generous daylight, wooden accents and constant visual contact with greenery. Together, these elements reduce stress and help patients feel safer and more comfortable during their visit.

The SemperGreenwall Outdoor wraps around the building and literally forms a transition between the natural landscape around Apeldoorn and the hospital complex. Thanks to the modular Flexipanel system, even the rounded corners of the building could be fully greened. As a result, the building feels less imposing and visually connects with its green surroundings. The care facility does not stand apart from its context, it becomes part of it.

For patients who return regularly for treatment, their surroundings play a significant role. Greenery has a calming effect, lowers stress levels and offers distraction during tense moments. The green façades create a pleasant visual experience on arrival and throughout the stay. Visitors and staff benefit as well, enjoying a more humane and welcoming healthcare environment.

Healthcare architecture with long-term value

The building houses consultation rooms, examination spaces, offices and radiotherapy rooms. Despite its highly technical functions, the design consciously embraces warmth and comfort. The green façades and roofs contribute not only to wellbeing, but also to climate adaptation, biodiversity and cooling of the building. Here, care quality, sustainability and architecture reinforce one another.

With this new development, Radiotherapiegroep demonstrates how modern healthcare architecture can look beyond functionality alone. By making greenery an integral part of the design, the building is future-proof both ecologically and socially. The SemperGreenwall and green roofs visibly show that care, nature and sustainability can strengthen one another, positively impacting everyone who enters the building.

Technology and nature in careful balance

Behind the calm, natural appearance lies a highly technical healthcare building. The radiotherapy centre covers nearly 1,000 m² and includes two radiotherapy bunkers with extremely robust constructions. To safely shield X-ray radiation, walls up to 1.9 metres thick and a roof of 2.6 metres were required. These technical constraints made it even more important to soften the building visually and emotionally. Abundant daylight, wooden finishes and surrounding living walls and green roofs create a balance between medical precision and human scale.

The Apeldoorn facility is Radiotherapiegroep’s fourth location, alongside Deventer, Arnhem and Ede. Although the opening in September 2020 was celebrated on a small scale due to Covid-19, the building represents an important step in the organisation’s development. It shows how the Healing Environment philosophy is consistently translated into architecture and interior design. With greenery as the connecting element, the location is not only functional and future-ready, but immediately recognisable as a place where care, attention and environment come together.