HUS Eye Hospital Tammisairaala

The new eye hospital, Tammisairaala, located in Helsinki, Finland was completed in November 2024 and will open its doors to patients in spring 2025. The modern hospital's infrastructure is designed to support high-quality patient care, with energy efficiency, accessibility and safety as key design principles. 

As Finland's leading eye hospital, Tammisairaala offers extensive facilities and services. The hospital has more than 200 outpatient clinics, 15 operating theatres, a 12-bed inpatient ward, a 100-space car park, an equipment maintenance center and other support facilities.

In this project, particular attention was paid to fire safety and preparedness. Jensen Hughes’ experts were responsible for fire safety planning in cooperation with the other parties involved in the project. Hospital projects are always demanding, and in the case of Tammisairaala, fire safety required expertise in many different areas, such as safe evacuation, structural fire safety and the fire safe storage of chemicals used in the hospital.

The fire safety design of the hospital was prepared for a high level of protection. The hospital is comprehensively equipped with fire detection and containment systems. Smoke extraction and rescue conditions were already considered at the design stage, which is particularly important in underground areas. The storage of flammable liquids has also been designed in a fire-safe manner.

Regarding structural fire safety, the fire resistance of load-bearing structures is ensured to be adequate, and fire compartmentation is used to limit the spread of fire and ensure better escape and evacuation possibilities. Particular attention was also paid to the design of fire barriers at the penetrations of compartmentalized structures. To ensure safe evacuation, the hospital is equipped with systems to warn of a possible fire at an early stage. An emergency alarm system guides people to act correctly, and staff will guide and support evacuation when necessary.

The special features of hospital construction require seamless cooperation between different experts and designers. Jensen Hughes' experts worked closely with HUS Kiinteistöt, main contractor YIT, end user representatives and other designers to ensure that fire safety solutions met the requirements of the hospital environment. During the project, many details such as the fire-safe use of wood and solutions for escape safety were worked out together.

Tammisairaala represents modern hospital design, where safety and preparedness are important parts of meeting users' needs. Comprehensive design, technological solutions and close cooperation during the project will help the hospital provide a safe and functional environment for its users.