Elias Lindqvist works with concrete inside the old maternity ward. Theis space is undergoing a complete renovation now.
It is beginning to come together for the reconstruction of the oldest parts of Skellefteå hospital. The road behind the hospital blocks is now a large pit. This is where the new culverts to the hospital will be built. All kinds of cables will be laid in them. The project managers, Mikael Boström and Fredrik Ahn-Orre, show us around all the buildings and the renovation work.
There are now three cranes in the area. They are used for different projects. There is scaffolding in several places and it is clear that several projects are underway simultaneously.
An auditorium for large meetings is being built next to the large dining room. Norran reported before that buildings 105 and 106 are being renovated. The ventilation system and roof will be replaced, the facade will be repainted and the windows will be repaired.
Another major project is the construction of a new backup power plant for the new hospital wing. Five kilometers of high-voltage cables are also being put underground.
A low building will be constructed between two existing structures to house a medical day care center. It should be completed by the end of November.
The Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology (CFOG), which consists of the maternity and gynecology departments, among others, has been experiencing problems with its facilities for a long time. The maternity department has already moved into newly renovated space in Building 106, the tallest building in the area. The rest of the center will be on the same floor, but in block 104, the same building as the main entrance.
In six months, they expect the old infirmary to be torn down. The interior is already being dismantled. Together with the construction company Byggdialog, the logistics and processes are being planned so that everything fits with the rest of the hospital. For example, the maternity ward must have quick access to the operating theatre and be on the same level.
Fredrik AhnOrre is project manager of the hospital's buildings.
Fredrik says that the house will be built in stages. The older floor plans that have been circulating are not representatve, as the project hasn't been fully decided yet.
What they do know is that there will be three different phases of construction, blocks A, B and C, and roughly the size of these parts. The first building will house the emergency, intensive care, laboratory, surgery and medical departments.
– We procure each part separately and can stop after each stage if not satisfied, says Fredrik.
A political decision has been made for the first stage. But the money has not yet been allocated.
– The goal is to finish in 2026-2027. But it depends on the speed with which we get the relevant information about each part of the project, although block B is expected to be finished one year after block A, says Fredrik.
– It will be tight, but we hope to start building in the autumn of 2024, says Mikael.
Mikael Boström showed Norran around the projects that are underway throughout the entire hospital.
Among other things, it is planned that X-ray and surgery will be moved to building B and that psychiatry will be moved to building C.
The budget for the work is currently estimated at around 2.4 billion kronor. All three buildings are expected to be completed by 2032. When considering interior renovations and relocations, the hospital should be complete around by around 2034-2035.
The first aspect of this huge project that will be become apparent is the construction of a new parking garage.
– We have a tight parking situation for both staff and visitors. We want to have a new parking garage ready before the lower parking lot disappears, because the municipality is going to build a road from Nordlandergatan, says Mikael.
In addition, the parking lot north of the railway will disappear when the Norrbothnia line is built.
The parking garage will be built on the current upper parking lot and will be three to four stories high with at least 360 parking spaces. Project planning must begin so as to allow politicians to allocate funds, but the cost is expected to be around 100-110 million kronor.
But how will the parking be solved while the parking garage is being built?
– We currently rent 60 spaces from the municipality and want to rent more. We may also have to adapt our own parking lots, says Fredrik.
How will patients be affected by all the construction work?
- As little as possible, of course. But there will be noise. It is good to be aware that there will be disruptions over the next few years. It is unavoidable, says Boström.