De Bilt, 20 October 2014 - Grontmij, a listed consulting & engineering company with a strong European presence, has been appointed by contractor KPC Herning as its engineering consultant for the new Psychiatric Centre, part of the New University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark. Construction work on the 50,000 m2 facility will start at the beginning of 2016 and completion is expected in January 2019. The total project investment is approximately € 174 million. Grontmij will be executing all the related engineering work based on its extensive experience in the medical sector and leading position in sustainable buildings.

Grontmij will be acting as engineering consultant to a Public Private Partnership (PPP) consisting of contractor KPC Herning, investor PKA and technology and operating company Wicotec Kirkebjerg.
Architecture firm Arkitema is responsible for the design. The new Psychiatric Centre represents a wide range of technical challenges including ventilation, daylight, energy and logistics. As the PPP-team will be in charge of operation and maintenance for a 25-year period following completion, smart energy design and the use of highly durable materials is an essential component of the build.

Søren Larsen, Country Managing Director for Grontmij Denmark: 'Our common goal is to create a new Psychiatric Centre for Aarhus that provides a comfortable and pleasant environment for people to recover in, to work in and to visit. In this project our challenge will be to combine various engineering disciplines and to work closely with the architect and the PPP-team.'

The facility comprises 40,000 m2 of adult and children's psychiatry departments and a 10,000 m2 independent forensic psychiatry department, making it the largest of its kind in Denmark. When the Psychiatric Centre moves in, it will leave behind its existing 160-year old complex elsewhere in the city. After 2019, these buildings will be converted into a new residential area featuring approximately 110,000 m2 of dwellings in one of Aarhus' most attractive neighbourhoods.

Leading experts in sustainable buildings
Sustainable Buildings is one of Grontmij's five key focus areas, besides Water, Energy, Highways & Roads and Light Rail. Grontmij has a growing reputation for continually pushing boundaries by embedding sustainable thinking and design in her projects and applies the newest technology to reducing energy consumption in both new and existing buildings.