Delivery UCP Groningen - a psychiatric hospital as 'healing environment'

With the new Psychiatric University Centre, the UMCG in Groningen now has a psychiatric department where patients feel like being in a hospital as little as possible, and where they stay connected to society.

Three principles therefore play a central role in our design: for people to wake up with the sun; for them  to be surrounded by meaningful spaces, and for them to lead as normal a life as possible. The new building consists of an outpatient wing with spaces for therapy and research, which is connected to a clinic for day treatment and patient rooms by two 'cloister corridors' around an inviting green patio. We deliberately designed the clinic, where patients spend longer periods of time, on the city side of the complex, next to the Oosterpark neighbourhood and facing east; thus, from their warm rooms decorated with fitting colours and materials, and from their wide window sills, patients have a view of the sunrise and the city's daily life.

The building, which we designed together with Vakwerk Architects, was  officially inaugurated on the 4^th of April and will be in use from mid-June 2024.

Click here to learn more about the design