Kronstad Psychiatric Centre, Bergen

Kronstad Centre is a local psychiatric hospital that includes ambulant teams as well as bed wards. The design aims to provide positive qualities in a challenging urban situation, whilst giving the patients the necessary protection.
The seven-storey building flanks an open public square, which stretches from the local tram stop through the green wall facade into the transparent ground floor of the centre, where there is a café and a shop. The white façade above is more closed and shelters the protective parts of the building, which are organised around three large atria. The most sensitive areas of the centre are located at the top with their own rooftop gardens and outdoor spaces.
The importance of the landscaping increased as the project progressed. There are a total of nine roof gardens, located on different floors, to provide relief in the dense urban setting, away from the heavy traffic. The gardens also provide storm water retention. One of the first ever vertical green walls has been constructed by the main entrance, a challenge in a cold climate. The square in front of the building has a simple design with yellow gravel and concrete paving, a water screen next to the trafficked throughway and two rows of magnolia trees along the street opposite. The central tree is a large beech.