KHR Architecture's project Glasblokkene (Glass Blocks) at Haukeland in Bergen receives praise in the latest issue of the Norwegian trade journal Arkitektur. In a perceptive and enthusiastic review, the project's holistic approach is highlighted, where architecture, landscape and interior design merge into a humane and caring hospital. The reviewer points out how Glasblokkene manages to combine technical complexity with warmth, light and proximity to nature – for the benefit of patients, relatives and staff.
Architectural review
In the latest issue of the Norwegian trade magazine Architecture provides a comprehensive and highly positive review of Glass Blocks at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen – a project in which KHR Architecture has been one of the key players. Under the title The amazing (building) body the writer describes how the architecture manages to give a large and complex hospital institution an almost human scale and character.
The review particularly highlights the project's holistic approach to healthcare architecture. The focus is not only on the patient, but also on relatives and the wide range of staff who make the hospital run smoothly on a daily basis. This mindset is reflected in spatial layouts, daylight strategies and material choices, where even secondary functions such as medicine rooms are provided with light and views.
Materiality plays a central role in the assessment. The combination of glass, Norwegian slate and warm woods such as birch and oak is described as both sensual and calming – and as an important contribution to creating a more homely and safe environment in an otherwise vulnerable context. The integrated “facade furniture” in particular is highlighted as an example of how architecture can be flexible, functional and human at the same time.
The interaction between the building and the landscape is also considered very important. The green courtyards and roof gardens – organised into landscape themes such as Forest, Mountain and Marsh – give patients and staff direct access to nature and support the experience of tranquillity, orientation and coherence. According to the review, this contributes to the hospital being perceived as more than just a treatment machine: it becomes a place for life, movement and reflection.
Finally, the article highlights the project's technological and sustainable ambitions, including digital design, energy wells and transparent solar cells, which together make Glasblokkene a model for future hospital construction.
The review concludes that Glasblokkene is a compelling example of how long-term quality, interdisciplinary collaboration and architectural consideration can result in a building that both functions effectively and touches those who use it.
Thank you for the kind review!
