Dresden Heart Centre

The new Dresden Heart Centre building will house a modern university hospital providing maximum care with specialist clinics for cardiology and cardiac surgery, including a transplant centre. With a usable floor space of around 18,000 square metres, the new building will offer around 220 beds and highly specialised functional areas. In addition to a central emergency room with a modern trauma room, there will be four operating theatres, two hybrid operating theatres and five cardiac catheterisation laboratories – all under one roof.

Sustainability is the focus here: the building will have several photovoltaic systems integrated into its structure, and the basement will provide space for technical equipment and parking. Research and teaching facilities will be expanded in a second construction phase. The architectural concept was designed by sander.hofrichter architekten from Ludwigshafen.

Energy reimagined

Our team at MorgenGrün – Innovationen von ZWP developed a comprehensive energy concept that combines efficiency, cost-effectiveness and climate protection. First, the energy requirements were determined, then the energy sources available at the site were evaluated. The proximity to the River Elbe creates favourable conditions for the use of groundwater as an energy source – supplemented by waste heat from medical equipment and server rooms. Local district heating was also incorporated into the concepts.

Optimisation of heating and cooling supply with waste heat and geothermal energy

Our team simulated several variants of heating and cooling supply and compared them over a period of 30 years in terms of investment costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The result: an energy concept that combines the highest technical requirements with sustainable thinking, utilising waste heat from large medical equipment and server rooms and a climate-friendly geothermal well system.

Simulation as a decision-making aid

During the design phase (service phase 2), MorgenGrün carried out thermal building simulations to determine the optimal room conditioning systems. The focus was on adiabatic exhaust air cooling for the ventilation systems and various concepts for thermal component activation – as a basis for well-founded, forward-looking decisions.

Progress with responsibility

The biggest challenge was to combine the complex energy and technical requirements of a university hospital with sustainable solutions – without compromising on functionality or safety. Through forward-looking simulations, reliable energy concepts and interdisciplinary collaboration, MorgenGrün demonstrates that high-tech medicine and climate protection are a perfect match.

Images: © a|sh sander.hofrichter architekten | AWB Architekten