Healthy Ageing Campus Groningen
The Healthy Ageing Campus Groningen Vision Plan outlines a future in which everything revolves around healthy living, in 2040. The plan provides a framework for spatial, functional and programme-related improvements to ensure that the campus can grow and meet future challenges, becoming firmly anchored in the city. The Healthy Ageing Campus has two key objectives: firstly, to provide space for healthcare, education, research and entrepreneurship; and secondly, to create an attractive, sustainable living environment in which health, social interaction and innovation are prioritized. With these functions, the vision plan extends beyond the campus grounds, touching upon the development of the city and region as a whole. De Zwarte Hond collaborated with our clients, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the University of Groningen (RUG), and the Municipality of Groningen, as well as our partners, the agencies Felixx and Sweco, to draft the Healthy Ageing Campus Vision Plan. The aim is to further develop the campus into a dynamic urban space where knowledge, healthcare and urban life are inextricably linked. The campus will be open and accessible to all, with new connections to the city and low-traffic streets with the smart organization of bicycle and car parking and logistics. High-quality greenery, meeting places and an interconnected network of paths will encourage encounters and active interaction. Climate-resilient interventions such as greening and water harvesting will ensure that the campus is fit for the future, while the programme’s flexible spatial design will allow room for growth and innovation. The result will be a healthy, vibrant and flexible campus that can grow with the city and its users in the short and long term. The vision plan has been adopted, with the exception of the Bodenterrein area.
data
- Location
- Groningen, NL
- Size
- 28,3 ha
- Client
- UMCG (Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen), RUG (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Gemeente Groningen
- Discipline
- Urban Design
- Program
- Urbanization Strategy
- Period
- 2023-2025
- Status
- Vision
- Partners
- Felixx, Sweco
The 1930s: Pavilions surrounded by greenery
The addition of the CMC (Centraal Medisch Complex) reflects the large-scale and functional approach of the modern era
Clutter and bicycle parking on the campus
From bastion to open, healthy, future-proof city campus
The Healthy Ageing Campus is located directly east to the east of Groningen city centre. A hospital has stood here since 1903, when the site was on the outskirts of the city. As the city expanded, the hospital came to be surrounded by the city. Since the 1960s, new construction has only been possible through densification or demolition, resulting in a cycle of internal relocation and modernisation. Over the course of more than 120 years, the site has undergone a transformation from green pavilions to a stony bastion. The challenge now is to accommodate growth while simultaneously creating an attractive, sustainable campus where health, social interaction and innovation take centre stage.
1 A walkable campus
2 Efficient logistics
3 Removing superfluous additions to buildings
4 Clearing out bicycle parking
5 Space for greening
6 Enrichment of the programme (including housing)
7 A collage of buildings cherishes the heritage
Spatial principles
The spatial structure comprises an outer ring, an inner ring, and a series of lively squares. The outer ring connects to Groningen’s green and blue network, offering space for movement, nature and climate adaptation. The inner ring connects care, education and housing via an intricate network of paths, courtyards, green spaces and shortcuts, weaving the campus into a coherent whole. This ring runs through both outdoor spaces and buildings, blending the inside and outside and allowing routes to flow naturally.
Climate adaptation at the Healthy Ageing Campus involves significant greening and a reduction in paved surfaces. The ambition is to add more trees, greenery and water retention features. However, this will only be possible if parking and bicycle storage are reorganized and unnecessary additions to buildings are removed. Inner courtyards will remain open and buildings will be fitted with green roofs and rain gardens. Ponds and lower-lying green areas will ensure sufficient water storage and cooling.
Social network
Increasing the chance of encounter
Chance encounters form the basis for knowledge exchange on campus. To increase the likelihood of such meetings, inviting ‘sticky places’ are being created where people can slow down, linger and meet each other. These include transparent plinths, attractive outdoor spaces, well-connected routes and strategic hubs. Centrally located squares such as City Plaza, North Plaza, Innovation Plaza, Healthcare Plaza and Fountain Plaza[MOU3.1] encourage interaction between education, research and business. Public and campus facilities are situated around these squares. In addition, the campus is designed as a healthy ageing environment that promotes user well-being and reduces stress. It encourages movement, sports and relaxation through walking routes, informal play areas and green spaces alongside the water.
The Essence Map provides a framework for new developments. The vision plan has been adopted throughout, with the exception of the Bodenterrein area.
Room for growth
The Essence Map provides a framework for new construction and renovation, while also creating space for the Healthy Ageing Campus to expand in the future. The programme is divided into zones: care in the south, education in the north, and research in the semi-public areas and mixed-use spaces on the campus edges. The campus offers space for approximately 132,000 m² of new programmes (including the Bodenterrein): 64,000 m² for work and research, 27,500 m² for facilities and 40,500 m² for housing. In this process, historic buildings are being reused and combined with new construction. Along the Vrydemalaan, on the Bodenterrein and at the Noordpunt, a variety of urban amenities and residences are being developed. Facilities such as a Living Lab, an incubator and a BioMed&Tech Hub are driving innovation across the campus. The variety of functions around the ‘sticky places’ ensures vibrancy and interaction, with public programmes primarily located in the plinths that fact onto the squares. A recreational area with access to the Oosterhamrik Canal is being created at the Stadsplein.
East side
North Point. The vision plan has been adopted, with the exception of the Bodenterrein area
Making strategic choices together
The vision plan demonstrates that a leading healthcare and knowledge institute can grow, even in a limited location, provided there is coherence, vision and shared decision-making. By developing a long-term vision with our clients – the UMCG, the RUG and the Municipality of Groningen – that transcends daily projects, we have created a framework for short-, medium- and long-term sub-projects. In this way, the campus becomes an open, permeable place for the city, where healthy living, learning and working converge. Strategic interventions such as a new logistics centre, smart bicycle parking, and high-quality landscaping make it possible to combine space and functionality, enabling growth to go hand in hand with high spatial quality, sustainability and climate resilience.
