Erasmus University Medical Center

The campus of the Erasmus University Medical Center (EMC) in Rotterdam’s city faces a renewal and densifaction challenge. EMC aims to further develop the campus and improve its relationship with the city by moving its own real estate programme and accommodating external healthcare partners, medical companies and research institutes. We want to enable medical care, development and knowledge exchange to take place in interaction with the surrounding city life, along with a lively mix of urban amenities on the campus itself.

City campus

The real estate of the Erasmus University Medical Center is physically bounded by the Middelland/Oude Westen neighbourhoods, a cluster of buildings belonging to Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, two city parks in the Hoboken area and ‘s-Gravendijkwal and Westzeedijk, two busy through roads. The EMC’s ambition is to transform itself into an urban medical campus (science park), in which healthcare institutions, research companies and education work together, for example on knowledge valorisation. The goal of the masterplan is to strengthen the existing complex and embed it within the urban fabric. Ways of doing so include increasing the differentiation of the campus in terms of its scale and expression and tying in with the forthcoming urban developments of ‘s-Gravendijkwal, Parkhaven and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

Programme

The edges of the masterplan have a distinctive character. ‘s-Gravendijkwal will primarily accommodate external care partners, who will take up residence in separate, adjacent buildings. On Westzeedijk, there will be room for tech-start-ups, scale-ups and innovative companies focused on the future of healthcare.

The development of the Museumpark side is a distant prospect – it will only take place around 2040, following the relocation of the Sophia Children’s Hospital on ‘s-Gravendijkwal. Thanks to the approach involving separate buildings, a mixed programme of urban amenities and Erasmus MC Campus-related functions in a mix of (social) amenities and working is very conceivable.

In order to achieve a lively interaction between the EMC Campus and its urban environment, the ground floor level will feature good spatial and functional programming. An overhang along the full length of the boulevard is envisaged for ‘s-Gravendijkwal, which will consequently be two stories high. This will rise to three stories at the square in order to reinforce the interaction and guide pedestrians from HOV to the square.

On the south and east sides, there is less of a distinct plinth. The buildings are located on and within a green lawn. On Westzeedijk, entranceways are situated very recognisably in the glass margins between the buildings. On the Museumpark side, the building entrances are connected with the system of paths between the buildings. They are oriented towards all sides and, depending on their functions, the basements which present as pavilions giving out onto the greenery can have separate entrances or verandas in the green spaces in between.

Logistics

The masterplan establishes a structure that operates at different levels. Besides creating a pleasant environment for patients, visitors and staff, the entire complex needs to be able to be efficiently supplied. Designing at different levels is therefore important.

The majority of the public areas will be on level 1, with the existing passage as its main artery. The passage will be extended to the west and south in order to link it to Westplein (also level 1) and three smaller squares on Westzeedijk which lie at the level of the dyke. Other spaces, such as the atria, will connect with this structure. The entire system of spaces and rooms will make it easy to traverse the campus.

The only public space on the ground floor is dr. Molewaterplein, the hospital’s main entrance. The rest of the ground level will be used for the logistics of the complex, or for parking.  The public part of the medical faculty will be on level 2, with a system of bed routes on level 3. This structure will be extended to the western side, where new care partners can link in with the existing structure. This strict division of functions will enable the total complex to function like a well-oiled machine.

Dynamic masterplan

Because the programming is constantly under development, the masterplan is also fluid. There is no fixed form and no fixed programme. The masterplan describes the developments in outline, providing design guidelines and setting parameters for visual quality. It sets out requirements for the new silhouette and how structures should be anchored in the urban environment. The masterplan describes and visualises the framework for developing the plan over time. This framework applies to the concrete initiatives for the coming years on ‘s-Gravendijkwal, through to the more global and general description on the Museumpark side. It describes both more concrete initiatives that will be addressed on ‘s-Gravendijkwal in the coming years and the vision-based approach on the east side.

Urban planning framework

The framework can be interpreted as a core and a periphery. In overall terms, the core is the existing Erasmus MC, a compact body of mostly connected buildings, which in programming terms perform the functions of the academic hospital plus education and research. The main opportunities and potential for transformation lie on the edges, the periphery. This means the existing Erasmus MC will be able to transform itself into a totally new representation, reflecting its urban context.

The framework has two important characteristics:

1. In the internal circuit, the significance of the passage will be enhanced by extending it to the new ‘Westplein’. Multiple interconnections will link the new parts of the building at the periphery with the passage. An extra east-west axis will connect the buildings on Westzeedijk. The enlarged and effective circuit will connect the zones designated for external (care) partners with the core and central passage. The interconnections will enable new entrances at numerous points along the three edges of the Erasmus MC Campus.
2. The silhouette. The densification in terms of mass/volume is achieved through a progression from the edge to accents in the second row of buildings and the tallest accents parallel to the passage. This will create a series of increasing lines of height that will guide the different plan initiatives.

Landscape anchoring

On the north side there are two squares (S’jacobsplein and dr. Molewaterplein) and a tree-lined city street (Wytemaweg) that effectively tie the existing hospital into the city. The aim is to extend the same connecting function to the west, east and south sides. We draw a distinction between the sides that border on the parks (green orientation) and the side that fringes on the city boulevard (urban orientation). By effectively connecting these different edges to the internal network of open spaces, we will create a multi-faceted campus that is fully anchored within Rotterdam city centre. Further value will be added by not building the complex right to the edges on all sides but rather by leaving a ‘frayed edge’, where squares and green spaces also enter the area.