OBERMEYER's Family Care Pavilion for the Hospital Pelhřimov in the Czech Republic won the jury's favour for its aesthetically pleasing hospital functions and low carbon operations and was awarded the Building of the Year 2023.

The panel of the jury, which is organised by the Foundation for the Development of Architecture and Construction, showed its appreciation for the professionalism of the creators, the spatial design, the precision of the building’s actual structural and technical design and the effort to add an artistic touch to the orientation system of the new family care building.

Low-carbon Energy Saving Health-care Building

The shape of the building designed by OBERMEYER follows a minimalistic design approach with interesting rhythms, in energy saving aspect, the Low Carbon building is with almost zero energy consumption following the passive energy standard. The average heat transfer coefficient of the façade is set at 0.30 W/m2K due to larger glazed areas. Nevertheless the specific heat consumption for heating the building is a very minimal 14 kWh/(m2.a). OBERMEYER designers and engineers worked together to achieve the passive standard, which was a big challenge in the design, especially due to the specific hygienic requirements for ventilation and humidification of the air in the inpatient wards. In the case of medical buildings, these parameters are set several times higher than for residential buildings. One of the most problematic aspects in this respect was achieving the required values of specific non-renewable primary energy. For hospitals, the specific heat flux through ventilation is responsible for about 60-70% of the total energy flux, with highly efficient air recovery being used to minimize losses. In contrast, specific heat flux through structures accounts for only about 25-30% of the total energy flux. All those objectives were achieved, and a comprehensive Low Carbon operation is facilitated.

The new five-storey, architecturally appealing pavilion provides modern facilities for the paediatric, gynaecology and obstetrics and neurology departments. The pavilion is specially designed to provide greater comfort for patients and their families. The modern rooms are equipped with all the necessary facilities and create a pleasant and healing environment for a quick recovery. The Family Care Pavilion promotes collaboration and the sharing of experience between the different departments and specialists in the hospital, which will improve the quality of care and enable the implementation of the latest procedures and treatment methods. These benefits will be a boost to the entire hospital, improving healthcare in the region and providing improved comfort and support for patients and their families.