The modular system of KOMA company enables the rapid expansion of the hospital in Karviná

The building of the Karviná Mining Hospital from the 1950s will see an expansion this year with a new addition to the orthopedic department. Considering the speed and effectiveness of implementation, the investor, together with architect Jan Beneš from petit atelier, decided to utilize the modular system from KOMA MODULAR. The new three-story building will enable easy connections to the existing hospital, and thanks to the modules used, it will provide patients with clear layouts for easy orientation. The project began to take shape this January and construction is expected to commence this summer, with completion anticipated in November of this year.

Decision for a Modular System

The history of the hospital dates back to the 1950s. Since then, all departments, including operating rooms and the entrance hall, have undergone modernization. With the increasing demands for new specialized departments and an increase in the number of outpatient services and beds, the hospital grounds have gradually expanded with additional buildings. Each such construction alteration, whether large or small, brought a number of restrictions concerning construction noise, dust, etc., as well as operational challenges that posed significant restrictions for staff and patients alike.

Last year, a request was made to expand the orthopedic department. Considering all factors of classic construction, particularly with regard to time demands, led the hospital owner to consider a suitable alternative approach. "A quick decision was made about the need for an extension, and the implementation also had to be equally quick. From the media, I knew that modular systems existed for construction, and I began to steer my considerations in this direction," explains hospital owner Milan Canibal.

"When the hospital owner called me at the beginning of January this year, expressing his desire to add and open another wing of the hospital this year, and asked me about the possibility of completing it with a modular system and my experiences or knowledge of the company KOMA MODULAR, my stance was positive and recommending," states the beginning of the whole story, the project author of the extension, Jan Beneš from petit atelier.

"By the end of January, we were already fine-tuning the layout proposal with the investor, addressing network relocations on the premises, connections to technologies, and other specificities of the project. So far, all indications suggest that the construction start date in August 2020 is realistic. Of course, provided that the ČEZ group, which is addressing the necessary relocation of the utility line on the builder's site, starts behaving according to its current advertising slogan, ‘together we can do it,’” continues Beneš.

Functional and Elegant Solutions

The investor's brief was to design a new orthopedic block connected to the existing hospital buildings, which would include both the inpatient section, including ICU rooms, and the doctors' offices. The extension consists of a three-story building connected to the existing hospital building at the ground floor and the third above-ground floor levels. In seeking an optimal layout, the authors ultimately used two length modules of two different widths, thus creating a total of four types of cells assembled together, where the basic limitation for the cell was a functional layout of a typical triple patient room with its own barrier-free bathroom. Just like the entire building, the connecting corridors are also made of modules. These are supported at the level of the third above-ground floor by steel columns and beams.

The basic prerequisite for the smooth operation of the hospital is a functioning layout. In designing it, the authors had to take into account not only the functional relationships of the individual spaces and the hygiene regulations associated with them but also the aesthetic and functional requirements placed on the interior by users. The modular solution did not present any limitations during the design process; on the contrary, the composition of the individual modules resulted in a clear and comprehensible layout, simplifying orientation, especially for patients.

The exterior appearance of the building was chosen by architects in a modest combination of white and gray plaster, highlighting the window openings. The façade's grid pattern responds to the modularity of the entire solution. This strict regularity was attempted to be disrupted by seemingly random placements of window frames. Practical and aesthetic elements include the boxes for outdoor roller shutters in an anthracite shade. The anthracite color is also repeated on the vertical slats wrapping around the internal and external staircases at both ends of the buildings.

Realization in Just One Year

If everything goes according to plan, the new wing of the Karviná Mining Hospital could serve as a suitable inspiration for smart and painless solutions to increase the necessary capacities of hospitals. "The recent epidemiological situation revealed another reason for gradually increasing bed capacities. The more beds we have, the more we can allocate for Covid 19 positive patients or other possible infectious threats in the future. The construction handover date is November 2020, and given that many people expect a second wave of coronavirus infection in the fall, the advantage of rapid modular construction in this context is clear," concludes Milan Canibal.