New Karolinska to become one of the world’s most advanced hospitals

Sweden is building one of the most advanced hospitals in the world. It will also be one of the best scoring environment-friendly buildings in Scandinavia.

The New Karolinska Solna University Hospital, just outside Stockholm, is still just a huge hole in the ground. The construction work will continue for another seven years, but the plans and visions for the institution are clear and precise.

“Our motto and credo is Patients First,” says Dr Erland Löfberg, Medical Director of the New Karolinska Solna Administration and member of the hospital development team.

“When the new hospital opens, the treatment itself will be faster, the waiting times shorter and the patient safety highly enhanced,” Dr Löfberg continues.

The new hospital will have best possible facilities to separate flows for the patients, the public and the staff, and decrease patient transferrals within the building.

The New Karolinska Solna hospital, situated next to the medical university Karolinska Institute, will be equipped with the latest technology and provide specialised healthcare in close cooperation with education and research.

When ready, the hospital will be one of the most environmentally advanced buildings in Scandinavia, and likely to be unique in meeting the requirements of all the three main international environmental certifications: ISO 14001, LEED and GreenBuilding.

The construction of the New Karolinska Solna hospital, organised as a public-private partnership (PPP), is the largest contract ever for Swedish Skanska.

John Dingle from the Structured Finance department of Skanska Financial Services explains why the PPP model is being deployed in this project:

“The most important reason is to transfer risk from the authority and taxpayers to the private sector. A PPP is the best way to ensure that the project is completed on time and on budget, and it ensures that the operations and lifecycle maintenance of the asset are delivered with predictable costs.”

NIB has contributed to the financing of the project with a loan corresponding to EUR 147 million.

“Given NIB’s status as an IFI, long-term financing contributes to the project’s overall affordability. NIB’s involvement also facilitates contacts with other international finance institutions,” says Mr Dingle.