The Isala Meppel hospital challenges conventional hospital design stereotypes. Vakwerk Architecture Firm chose not to follow typical hospital design methods. Instead, they aimed to create an environment that actively supports patient health. The building maximizes natural light and embraces the surrounding landscape, resulting in an elegant yet welcoming atmosphere. Rather than feeling like a traditional hospital, it resembles more of a rehabilitation center. Carefully selected materials and textured surfaces contribute to a warm, home-like ambiance for visitors and patients alike.
Located east of the small town of Meppel in the northeast Netherlands, near Reesdal, this hospital is surrounded by grasslands, farmland, wilderness, forests, estates, and large farms. The project includes a 23,500 square meter independent hospital with an additional 5,000 square meter comprehensive rehabilitation center. Both structures are designed to blend seamlessly with the natural environment.
The design goal was to create a user-friendly building that meets the complex functional needs of a hospital. The facility aims to be a healing environment that stimulates vitality, promotes health, and encourages movement. It provides comfortable workspaces for staff while enhancing patient experience and recovery rates. A dedicated working group of medical experts collaborated closely to optimize workflows. Based on their input, most functional areas were located on the ground floor to ensure efficient building operations.
As the building extends primarily horizontally, natural colors and materials were used on the facade, complemented by green roofing. This design perfectly integrates the hospital into its natural surroundings. Corrugated aluminum panels on the facade create dynamic light and shadow effects throughout the day, altering the building’s appearance from morning to evening and with the changing seasons. The overhanging canopy emphasizes the building’s horizontal lines while providing shade from solar radiation.
Vakwerk Architecture Firm worked closely with planners from Komovo to ensure a natural transition between the exterior landscape and interior spaces. This connection is reflected in interior details such as brass-textured leaf motifs on the flooring, as if blown in by the wind. The entrance hall walls feature projections of animals that move along with visitors. Additionally, various animal and plant designs are printed on walls, doors, windows, and curtains throughout the building.
The Isala Diaconessenhuis is not only innovative in spatial organization and architectural design but is also the first fully electric medical facility in the Netherlands. Its two large roof sections are covered with solar panels, and the building features an integrated thermal storage system. The hospital respects its environment by landscaping with native plants and supporting local wildlife, including storks that continue to thrive on-site. The green roofs enhance biodiversity, creating a sustainable and healthy building where people and nature coexist harmoniously.
Project Drawings
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Section Diagram
Project Information
Architect: Vakwerk Architecten
Area: 23,500 m²
Project Year: 2021
Photographers: Egbert de Boer, Melanie Samat
Manufacturers: Aluform, Artimo, Boll Dakmanagement, Fagerhult, Houkesloot, Kawneer, MSP Dak & Wand BV, Optigrun, TZB Tegelspecialist, Tarkett, Van Vuuren Doors
Project Architect: Ellen van der Wal
Architects: Jarno Koenen, Marck Vrieling
Technical Architect: Tim van Beurden
Interior Architect: Marloes Pieper
Location: Meppel, Netherlands
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