The regional council of Central Denmark Region has approved the construction of a 14-storey building named Forum, which will become the new center for Aarhus University Hospital. The Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University will move a number of its research units and facilities to the building.

2018.12.20 | Mette Louise Ohana

Visualization of Forum. Designed by the companies KPC, LINK Architecture, SWECO and SLA.

On Wednesday, the regional council gave the green light to the 14-storey building “Forum”, which will become a new gathering point at Aarhus University Hospital. Forum will accommodate modern research facilities, a patient hotel, treatment facilities and a church room.

The building will be the last major construction at Aarhus University Hospital for the time being. With facilities for researchers, doctors, patients and relatives, and with its central location and many features, it will become the very heart of the hospital grounds.

Forum is a joint undertaking between Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital, Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus and The Danish National Church.

The team responsible for the construction of Forum will include the entrepreneurial company KPC, engineering company SWECO and SLA architectural office. Construction will be completed by 2022.

Stem cell laboratory, biobank and diabetes research
The Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University will move in along with a range of central and flexible facilities for the university’s medical research. Among these will be a stem cell laboratory, the Research Unit for Psychiatry TNU, but also space for a biobank and facilities for animal experimentation. Construction of these new research facilities are made possible by an investment from Aarhus University Research Foundation in order to support the university's engagement in the new Forum.

In addition, Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus will move into the building to form a new powerhouse for treatment, prevention, research, cooperation and education within the field of diabetes for the entire Central Denmark Region. A large grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation has made it possible for Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus to establish a clinic in the building and procure laboratories and offices in Forum’s research facilities for the center's major research activities.

The top four floors of Forum will house a patient hotel with approximately 60 rooms offering views of Aarhus. The dining area of the patient hospital will be placed on the top floor. The floors below will house the hospital’s Departments for Functional Disorders and Clinical Pharmacology.

In addition, a church room, a quiet room, a reflection room, and a multidisciplinary knowledge center for existential and spiritual care will be built. A park for recreation and exercise will be constructed right outside of Forum.

The placement and features of Forum ensures that virtually all medical specialties will be available within a radius of approximately 500 m.