On the site of the Aller-Weser-Klinik gGmbH (AWK) in Verden, construction work on a new ward block has been underway since November 2019, to plans by Architektengruppe Schweitzer. The investment scale for this extension, which will connect to the existing building, is around 38 million euros. A modern four-storey clinical block with room for 120 patients and four operating theatres is to be built on the hospital site by the time it is finished in 2022. The concept of sustainability is also becoming increasingly important in hospital buildings. Relevant standards for sustainability in the construction and operation of hospitals are set out in VDI Guideline 5800 Part 1 (Association of German Engineers), and also play an important role at Verden. In order to contribute to a sustainable life cycle for the new building, right from the design phase, the structural engineers at WTM Engineers GmbH recommended using void former modules from Heinze Cobiax Deutschland GmbH, to reduce the amount of concrete and thereby achieve a CO2 saving of 66 tons. The new clinical block has been under construction since November 2019, over a floor area of around 10,500 m². With a total usable area of around 9,200 m², it will mean state-of-the-art running for this hospital. Since the new block connects directly to the existing building, its foundations had to be secured beforehand from slipping into the excavations, and an existing staircase had to be demolished. The hospital's facilities are only marginally affected by the new block, this being located on the side of the building facing away from patient rooms.

Concrete savings from void former technology

Comprehensively sustainable design is of great importance for the financial operation of hospitals. The new VDI Guideline 5800 Part 1 offers a summary of the sustainability of hospital operation over the entire life cycle, from planning and construction, to use and maintenance, to demolition and disposal. Possible savings potentials were identified for the construction phase of the new block at Verden, too, and options sought for delivering them. In order to reduce the amount of concrete, it was decided to use our patented void former technology in the form of Cobiax modules type SL-M-180-200. In the new block at Verden, around 310 m³ of concrete is being saved by using around 3,715 modules, consisting of up to 26,000 individual void formers.