ST. SOFIA

This is a project with a cause realized by a team of professionals dedicated to healing, bringing new life, saving the sick and people in need. The massive 8-storey building, seen from a bird’s eye view, resembles the lungs in the human body through which the medicine “breathes” in a new and modern way. Building 2 is situated at the foot of Vitosha Mountain and from the high storeys it offers a fascinating view of the mountain. The building’s design uses the light to the fullest and is mainly based on the white colour – the symbol of the purity of the medicine. Building 2 provides highly specialized medical care and patient-related services. It is a natural extension of the hospital operating for the last 13 years and is located in close proximity to the St. Sofia Hospital. It is equipped with state of the art apparatus and devices and includes 7 operating rooms, haemodialysis centre, resuscitation room, 393 hospital beds. Using the latest achievements in the field of medicine with focus on the individual approach and care, the hospital will provide personalized treatment depending on the patient’s genetic code. The personalized approach is the gold standard in oncological, endocrine, liver diseases and others. The achievements of medical technology, combined with a modern and inviting building, naturally attract Bulgarian physicians working abroad to return and work in their homeland and particularly at St. Sofia Hospital. During the construction of Building 2, the requirements for modern quality healthcare accreditation systems such as JCI were complied with.

Building 2 – The Green Hospital

The building is constructed with consideration for the consequences on the environment, in view of the rising prices of the resources and social responsibility policies. On the roof of Building 2 there is an energy centre, which includes all the facilities for activities related to air conditioning, ventilation and heat generation using gas thermal pumps for this purpose. Among their main advantages, which explain their increasing use in practice, are the achievement of high efficiency, lower energy costs, the use of renewable energy sources, environmental sustainability and others. Specially selected windows allow for optimal ratio of maintaining a uniform indoor temperature throughout the year. Given the specifics of life in the big cities and in particular the issue with parking, the building includes underground parking at two levels, as well as a large outdoor parking lot. The "Green" Hospital also has 10 spots for electric vehicles with charging stations. The reason to include charging stations in the design is the need for clean energy, protection of the environment from harmful gases, and the desire to encourage more people to use electric cars in urban conditions and to contribute to the continued expansion of environment-friendly motor vehicles. Nature also goes beyond the threshold of the building: the central entrance has natural landscaping with the required automated irrigation as well as solar lighting. The embrace of Vitosha with its greenery encircles most of the building.

Building 2 has a 4-degree protection against power failure. There are two independent external power supplies, a backup power supply - a UPS and a diesel generator. All this ensures the continuity of the work process at all the hospital's vital centres. Using the latest technology, most of the rooms have floor and wall coverings with no gaps. This allows a high degree of disinfection, moisture resistance and bactericidal effect. The building also has 7 lifts, 3 of which may operate in an emergency mode, ensuring the safety of the patients in all situations. Two of the lifts are panoramic. This is also a characteristic feature of St. Sofia Hospital, which is the first hospital with a panoramic lift since its opening in 2006. A pneumatic (vacuum) mail system was built. The system connects stationary, diagnostic offices, laboratories, hospital pharmacy, administration and storage rooms, ensuring fast and timely delivery of various shipments, both ray pictures and blood samples, as well as recipes and documentation. This minimizes the risk of human error. The building has the highest degree of earthquake protection. In the area of ​​the central foyer, the slabs are built using the cassette method, which provides a lightening of the structure. In this way, the space at the entrance of the hospital is enlarged for the sake of the comfort and welcoming when patients and staff meet. The precise architectural solution partners with the sunlight, which reaches as far as possible to any hospital room and medical post.

Modern medicine is unthinkable without freely available and fast internet connection. Building 2 features a high-quality, internet access available throughout the building that enables physicians to connect with colleagues around the world right next to the patient's bed. There are 3 modern conference and lecture halls. The largest of them has a capacity of 100 attendees and participants in seminars, symposia and various events and trainings. Such a solution is logical and corresponds to the desire for continuous professional development of the team.

The icing on the cake is the restaurant with impressive views, both to Vitosha and the central part of the city. For the convenience of the visitors the in-door part seats 50 persons. The outdoor terrace, where you can have a cup of coffee or simply relax, offers moment of pure magic. The restaurant is an attractive place not only for staff and patients, but also for all who have not seen Vitosha in this magical way.