The design for the new Zaans Medical Centre (ZMC) in Zaandam has been certified as BREEAM-NL “Very Good”. ZMC is the first hospital in Europe based entirely on LEAN principles. Mecanoo worked in close cooperation with the hospital’s administration and developer Vitaal ZorgVast to create the innovative and sustainable building. With a score of 61.9% (three stars), ZMC belongs to the top most sustainable hospitals in the Netherlands.
ZMC was designed as a welcoming building with excelling orientation for all its users, factoring in the human scale. It provides an optimal healing environment for patients and a pleasant working environment for staff.
To achieve a sustainable and high quality building, the hospital’s LEAN design encompasses energy efficient climate and lighting equipment, special attention to the biodiversity of the surroundings, reuse of waste water (resulting in a 20% decrease of water use), motion sensors for lighting control, heat recovery from ventilation air, as well as a well system for heating and cooling.
A joint venture established between the hospital and Vitaal Zorgvast developed and built ZMC and will remain responsible for the building’s management, maintenance, cleaning services, and energy use for the next 25 years.