Tour of the new Komotini General Hospital construction site

It reflects a fundamentally different design philosophy. The hospital has been conceived not only as a facility for treatment, but also as an environment of care in which architecture, nature, and technology operate in synergy for the benefit of the individual.

As part of an initiative to familiarise citizens with the project, officials from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) conducted three organised guided tours of the construction site of the hospital currently under development. These visits offered residents of Komotini and the wider region the opportunity to observe firsthand a project that aspires to become a landmark for the future of public healthcare in Greece.

The visit began with an informational video outlining the progress of construction and the key features of the project, followed by a detailed presentation by the implementation team. This presentation explained the design philosophy, technological innovations, and the ways in which the new hospital will meet the needs of the coming decades.

The new Komotini General Hospital is one of three public hospitals being built under the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s International Initiative for Health. Together with the University Paediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the General Hospital of Sparta, it forms part of one of the largest public healthcare investment programmes in the country.

All three hospitals have been designed by the architectural firm of Renzo Piano and will be delivered fully equipped to the Greek State upon completion. According to current planning, the Komotini hospital is expected to be delivered in 2027, replacing the existing Komotini General Hospital “Sismanogleio,” which has been in operation since 1937.

Nature as a Therapeutic Tool

The core principle of the hospital’s design is the belief that contact with the natural environment contributes substantially to patients’ physical and psychological recovery. Surrounding the complex, an extensive landscaped environment will be developed, featuring approximately 1,200 mature trees, therapeutic gardens, botanical plantings, and relaxation areas accessible not only to patients and their companions but also to staff.

The complex consists of two main building volumes connected by bridges. Between them, an open public space is formed, functioning as a meeting and recreation square, enhancing a sense of calm and openness.

A defining feature of the design is the use of natural light. All levels are cross-ventilated and designed to allow daylight to penetrate deep into communal spaces. Large glass surfaces and wooden finishes create an atmosphere more reminiscent of a contemporary wellness centre than a conventional public hospital.

Even the operating theatres have been designed with visual access to landscaped areas, reflecting the philosophy of a care environment in which nature is an integral part of the therapeutic experience.

As explained during the tour by Antonis Antoniou, a member of Renzo Piano’s architectural team, the goal of the design is to create “an open hospital accessible to all residents of Komotini’s multicultural society, which, in addition to providing high-quality healthcare services, will also offer a care environment of high standards.”

Human-Centred Design

Particular emphasis has been placed on inpatient conditions. Twenty-five percent of rooms will be single-bed, while the remaining 75% will be double rooms, eliminating the large multi-bed wards typical of older hospital infrastructure.

Rooms will be spacious, equipped with integrated medical technology and large openings to the exterior, providing natural light and views of greenery. The aesthetic design aims to reduce the sense of isolation often associated with hospitalisation and to create greater comfort and privacy. Among the small but meaningful design details is a white bench placed in all rooms near the large windows, allowing patients to enjoy views of the surrounding natural landscape.

Special attention has also been given to hospital staff, with modern working spaces, offices, training facilities, and rest areas. A particularly strong impression was made by the under-construction psychiatric unit, where patient rooms resemble more a warm, well-designed hotel room than a traditional clinical space.

Infrastructure and Next-Generation Services

The new hospital will provide a full range of healthcare and support services. Facilities will include a training centre, café, restaurant, pharmacy, central sterilisation unit, diagnostic laboratories, mortuary, and imaging department.

Medical equipment will include, among others, a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, CT scanner, ultrasound systems, 3D mammography unit, bone density measurement system, and gamma camera. Outpatient services will include 16 examination rooms for regular outpatient clinics, 15 dialysis stations, and a physical medicine and rehabilitation department.

Inpatient capacity will include 86 general beds, 8 ICU beds, 16 paediatric beds, 14 obstetrics and gynaecology beds, a neonatal unit with five cots, a 15-bed psychiatric unit, an eight-bed day hospital unit, and a 13-bed short-stay unit.

The surgical complex will include six fully equipped operating theatres, a minor surgery theatre, and an endoscopy unit, while the emergency department will feature 17 treatment cubicles. The hospital will also include a helipad, enhancing its capacity for rapid transport and emergency response.

The environmental dimension of the project is a central pillar of its design. The hospital has been developed with the goal of achieving LEED Platinum certification and carbon neutrality. A large photovoltaic roof will cover a significant portion of the complex’s energy needs, while geothermal systems will support heating requirements. In addition, the fully digital infrastructure will enable interoperability with other healthcare units and improved patient monitoring.

Source: Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA)