The new University Heart and Vascular Centre at UKE will create a pioneering facility on the campus of University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf for the treatment of highly complex heart and vascular diseases, reflecting UKE’s leading role in Europe in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions.
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Completion: 2026
Client: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), KFE Klinik Facility-Management Eppendorf GmbH
Photography: HG Esch
The building envelope is composed of red brick, reminiscent of traditional Rathenow brick and referencing Hamburg’s architectural heritage. Combined with bronze-coloured window elements, it creates a nuanced façade that balances robustness with elegance. In this way, the building integrates harmoniously into the existing campus architecture while establishing a distinct identity of its own.
The compact volume of the Heart and Vascular Centre is articulated by a glazed recess on the second floor. This transparent level divides the building into two distinct sections. Above the base rises the patient building, whose scale takes its cue from the larger buildings on the research campus. At the centre of the building is “le coeur”, the heart of the building. This central space serves both as a social meeting point and as the main functional hub for circulation throughout the entire building.
The new building is also a key component of UKE’s Future Plan 2050, which sets out the long-term development of the campus while preserving its park-like character. The University Heart and Vascular Centre forms an important new element within this vision and demonstrates how architecture, medicine and science can work together.
