Öschelbronn Clinic

Pforzheim, Germany

Öschelbronn Clinic

Pforzheim, Germany

About the Project

A non-profit acute hospital specialising in anthroposophic medicine, the Öschelbronn Clinic has been recognised as an award-winning centre for integrative oncology, pain and palliative medicine.

According to Athroposophic Medicine UK, Anthroposophic Medicine is a holistic medical approach established over 100 years ago. It takes the view of ‘’a whole human being’’ and gives equal importance to the structure and composition of the physical body, its vitality and rhythms, the soul/emotional life of the patient, and the individuality/spirituality of the person.

Design Goals

To create a healing healthcare environment for this new build, 126-bed facility near Stuttgart, architectural firm Roger Strauss specified natural wood and wood effect finishes to make the interior feel homely and not “clinical” for its patients.

As healthcare environments are notoriously tough to maintain to a high standard, resilient finishes were required to ensure the facility continued to look clean and fresh for as long as possible. For that reason, several wall protection solutions from the Acrovyn range were specified for high traffic areas.

Solution

Acrovyn FP Panels with a custom wood décor finish were used in the corridors to satisfy the requirement for an A2-s1,d0 fire rated solution. The custom wood décor provides an attractive, highly durable and resilient wall surface, and ties in perfectly with the doors and surrounding furnishings on each floor.

To provide mobility support in circulation areas, the architect also specified HRW-6 solid timber handrails. Beech and maple options, complete with matching timber end caps and fitted on sturdy stainless steel brackets, were selected to complement the natural finishes throughout.

For clinical and back-of-house areas, Acrovyn PVC-Free Sheet with a B-s1, d0 fire rating was specified to provide an environmentally friendly and highly durable wall finish. This through-coloured material, as well as showing superb durability, features a lightly textured surface which helps to hide the effects of impact and abrasion. Different sheet colours were used on each of the clinic’s floors to help with wayfinding, with matching corner guards (SO-50 and SO-50V) chosen to protect vulnerable external corners from impact damage.

Additionally, clear, A1 fire rated Acrovyn Glass by Design was used in lift areas to provide a discreet but effective protection from impact, while allowing a painted decorative wall finish to be displayed behind its protective layer.

With this award-winning facility now open to patients, the range of Acrovyn products will provide a clean, safe and supportive environment, and help maintain hygiene and fire safety standards for the wellbeing of patients and staff.