St. Maarten General Hospital, Duffel, Belgium

The need

The St. Maarten General Hospital had been receiving a growing number of requests for vascular procedures and identified a need for a new hybrid operating theatre to increase its capacity.

However, the construction of a new hospital had already started and was scheduled for completion within five years. As the facility would only be operational for a few years, the total cost of operation for a new internal hybrid operating theatre would be relatively expensive, and the hospital’s management wanted to look into alternative options. We were approached to come up with a modular solution.

The plan

The proposal provided to build a bespoke, modular hybrid operating facility, which would be operational for about five years but would be designed for permanent use.

A seamless connection between the new hybrid operating theatre and the existing operating theatre complex was required, and since this Healthcare Space was located on the first floor, this provided an additional challenge.

The solution would be fully flexible, meaning that the medical equipment housed within the operation theatre could be transferred to the new hospital once this was completed and the temporary, modular building could be returned to be repurposed.

The solution

In collaboration with the equipment manufacturer, we designed a modular hybrid operating facility which met the same requirements as a traditional building. The facility was placed on a steel structure above the ambulance entrance of the accident and emergency department, enabling a connecting corridor to be provided to the existing operating theatre complex of the hospital.

The theatre has a large plenum and is ISO 5 certified, and there are also facilities in the ceiling for the installation of pendants and monitors. The walls are covered with high-pressure laminate with an antibacterial layer and the floor consists of a concrete base, finished with a semi-conductive PVC floor covering.

The outcome

We completed the project within just three months of signing the contract, with the operating room itself being installed within one day.

Five years later, the new hospital became operational. The equipment from the temporary operating theatre was deployed in the new hospital as planned, and the modular theatre was removed from the old hospital.

This facility can be reused either temporarily or permanently as required and can be deployed within the delivery time of new equipment. The size of the facility is currently 90 m2, but it can be adapted to the requirements of the new user and can take hybrid equipment of any make.