Sygehus Nord
Transforming the former Sygehus Nord hospital grounds into a new, mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of Aalborg.
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Karsten Thorlund
Head of SLA Aarhus, Partner, Architect MAA
Location
Aalborg, Denmark
Size
36,000 m2
Year
2022 — 2030
Client
Nordud A/S and The City of Aalborg
Role
Lead Masterplanner & Landscape Architect
Partners & Collaborators
Transform, Friis & Moltke, Arkitekt Bertelsen, Sweco
SLA is leading the combined planning and design project to transform the former Sygehus Nord hospital grounds into a new, mixed-use neighborhood in the heart of Aalborg.
The 1 billion DKK transformation of Sygehus Nord will open up the 36,000 m2 former hospital grounds to the surrounding city and create a ‘neighborhood for all life’ – for residents, neighbors, citizens, and the local nature, plants, and wildlife.
“SLA has been the driving force behind the transformation of the Livskvarteret — from the initial vision to the unanimously approved local plan, they have led the process with transparency, involvement, and a clear direction. Thanks to the leadership of Karsten Thorlund and SLA, and their engagement with the project’s and the area’s stakeholders, city life, public spaces, and nature have become the true foundation for creating lasting value in the transformation of Sygehus Nord into a vibrant neighbourhood for all of Aalborg.”
— Kim Jacobsen, CEO, Nordud A/S
Central to the masterplan is to build upon and strengthen the area’s existing identity and qualities to create an optimal framework for a bustling, sensuous, and social everyday life.
To achieve this, we preserve, transform, and upcycle most of the existing buildings while adding new and varied housing, cafes, public spaces and pocket parks that strengthen and add to the public life that is already present.
As the green heart of the neighborhood, we add a new 5,000 m2 Saxo Park that will add a host of green, social, and natural amenities to the area while also acting as the natural pendant to Reberbansgade’s more urban character.
To ensure the new Sygehus Nord neighborhood’s natural integration in Aalborg’s urban fabric, we cut a large Urban Gateway into the site’s landmark – the 14-storey hospital high-rise building – which creates a new natural flow into the area and in a spectacular way updates the building into a new Aalborg icon.
The Saxo Park will stretch underneath the railroad tracks and connect the area to the school, to the cathedral, to the KUNSTEN art museum and to central Aalborg’s green network.
Construction of the Sygehus Nord grounds is expected to start once Aalborg Hospital moves out of the buildings which is scheduled to take place in 2026.
