Healthcare provision in Luxembourg Province and the surrounding regions is undergoing a major reorganization. It is within this context that the new CHR Vivalia hospital is currently under construction in Houdemont. Built on a greenfield site, this 570-bed hospital is being developed over an area of 92,000 m² distributed across five levels.
The project extends beyond the hospital building itself: the external landscaping has been designed to contribute to the well-being of patients, visitors, and staff. It includes, in particular, a rehabilitation area and a pediatric zone, both covered and conceived as an extension of the indoor environment, as well as a health trail, playgrounds, relaxation and picnic areas, and spaces dedicated to hospital personnel.
The greisch engineering office is responsible for the structural engineering and civil engineering assignments for this project. This new development builds on its expertise in hospital infrastructure, notably through the design of the MontLégia Hospital and the Delta hospital center.
A Structure Tailored to a Hospital Environment
A hospital building is subject to specific functional requirements and operational loads. The structure of CHR Vivalia has therefore been designed according to the intended use of each area.
Depending on room functions and the sometimes significant loads involved, the load-bearing floor systems may consist of flat slabs, semi-precast concrete slabs, or prestressed hollow-core slabs. Flat slabs with spans sometimes exceeding eight metres reduce the number of supports, free up space for building services installations, and provide a high degree of flexibility through their ease of penetration for future openings.
In certain areas, the routing of large-section building services ducts requires larger openings within the structure. To accommodate this constraint, hollow-core slabs combined with deep beams interrupted by shallow steel cantilever beams are used. The remainder of the structure is composed of precast concrete elements, and the entire building provides a two-hour fire resistance rating.
The building is being constructed on sloping terrain, requiring substantial earthworks. The presence of a layer of soft soil overlying a schist bedrock led to the use of piled foundations slightly socketed into the sound schist rock. Two additional parameters also influenced the design choices. Firstly, the subsoil of Luxembourg Province is naturally affected by the presence of radon gas, leading to the installation of an anti-radon membrane. Secondly, a groundwater table crosses the site. To prevent uplift pressure beneath the foundation raft, a drainage system combined with a gravel layer has been installed beneath the slab. Eliminating this uplift pressure allows the raft slab thickness to be limited to 20 cm, thereby reducing material quantities and construction costs, as was sought throughout the structure. The design of this system was developed in collaboration with the University of Liège.
New Access Infrastructure for the Future Hospital
Accessibility is a key concern for any hospital infrastructure. Located in the immediate vicinity of the E25 motorway, the future CHR Vivalia requires the construction of a new motorway interchange enabling entry and exit in both traffic directions, as well as two new roundabouts to distribute traffic towards the site. This configuration is similar to that developed for MontLégia Hospital, which was also designed by the greisch engineering office.
The central element of these infrastructure works is a new bridge crossing the motorway. Its distinctive design is intended to act as a landmark for motorists travelling on the E411. The bridge is 60 metres long and has a variable width ranging from 11.50 m to 16.40 m. It consists of a composite weathering steel and concrete structure. Its geometry is characterized by a steel shell whose cross-section progressively evolves from a cylindrical shape into a toroidal form as it approaches one of the abutments. This variation in height and width serves a specific structural purpose: it increases the structure’s stiffness and allows the deck to be fixed into the abutment, thereby eliminating the need for a central pier.
The bridge deck accommodates two traffic lanes, an additional width reserved for emergency vehicles, and sidewalks for active road users.
The box-girder section, which has no internal web, takes advantage of the mechanical performance of this curved geometry to limit the quantity of steel required and reduce the self-weight of the structure. Diaphragms positioned at regular intervals ensure transverse stiffness.
The substantial earthworks required for the hospital’s construction are also being used for the road infrastructure works. East of the bridge, embankments reaching heights of up to 7.5 metres are being constructed using excavated material from the hospital site. The abutments will be founded on piles. In addition, the local road is being diverted to allow the construction of these new facilities.
The greisch engineering office has proposed a construction method aimed at minimizing traffic disruption: the bridge would be prefabricated near the site and transported using multi-axle trailers. It would then be installed on temporary supports before final lowering and load transfer.
Constructed before the hospital building itself, this bridge will provide the main access route for the delivery of materials and equipment while ensuring efficient management of the logistical flows associated with construction of the future hospital.
Project Stakeholders
- Client: Intercommunale Vivalia
- Client’s Representative (Project Assistance) en Construction Manager: PROATIS Consortium, comprising ATO Theop Group, EGIS Bâtiment France, and PAUL WURTH GEPROLUX
- Architect: archipelago – alineater
- Engineering Consultants:
- Structural Engineering: Bureau greisch
- Building Services Engineering (MEP): Sweco
- Health & Safety Coordination / Planning: cosep
- Sustainability Consulting: MATRIciel
- Contractor, Lot 10: Eloy
- Pictures: Drawfield
