Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB) combined their medical and scientific expertise at Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité (DHZC) in 2023. The new building at Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK) is an expression of two institutions coming together under one roof, which also symbolises their interdisciplinary collaboration.
The flagship project at CVK offers patients with cardiovascular diseases options for treatment of the highest quality. Moreover, it sets new standards across Europe with its state-of-the-art operating theatres, laboratories and hybrid spaces for procedures. Scheduled for completion in 2028 and set to open in 2029, the new building will also accommodate the hospital’s emergency facilities, which will be restructured as a new interdisciplinary central emergency department (ZNA). The centralised sterile services department will also be suitably located in the 70-metre-high building. The State of Berlin is investing 421 million euros in the DHZC, while the federal government is contributing a further 100 million.
As well as fulfilling its role as a university hospital providing maximum care, DHZC is also a centre for research and teaching. The building will include designated areas for in-depth student support and provide examination rooms for bedside teaching in addition to seminar and meeting rooms. Decentralised research areas have also been integrated, as have facilities for the university’s outpatient clinic.
Located in the southern part of the campus in an area marked by heterogeneous urban development, the building is situated in close proximity to Berlin’s Westhafen port. With its tower-like structure and significant shape, it forms the high point of the campus to the south and marks the beginning of the future campus development.
The basic cubic form, which from Nordufer and Sylter Strasse is experienced as equally proportioned facades, acts as a point of calm in a setting that otherwise lacks definition. The building’s size and aesthetic coherence convey its functional importance with clarity. The interstitial space that divides the building along its vertical axis deliberately breaks up the height and, in dividing the structure into a podium and tower section, references the adjoining six-storey buildings of the master plan. Moreover, the staggered height between the new building and the existing campus emphasises its position on the future Föhrer Platz, overlooking the Berlin–Spandau Ship Canal. The offset building volumes create a second plaza within the southern ring of the CVK, thereby providing the necessary distance to the existing buildings, enabling access along the north–south axis and creating the connection to existing and future parts of the campus.
The building is divided into a podium and a tower by a joint between the sixth and seventh floors, and consists of a total of 16 floors above ground and two floors below ground. While the centralised sterile processing (AEMP) as well as areas for logistics and plant rooms are located on two basement floors, the levels above ground accommodate the central emergency department (ZNA), outpatient clinics, operating theatres and intervention rooms, the clinic for congenital heart defects (AHF) as well as administrative and public areas (the main entrance and foyer). The interior areas of the interstitial floor are reserved for staff, in addition to providing access to the roof garden, which can also be accessed by patients from the inpatient wards in the tower above, including those undergoing physiotherapy and rehabilitation. At the very top of the building, there are floors accommodating additional plant rooms, a public cafeteria with a view over CVK, and areas for meetings and seminars. CVK’s second helipad is located on the roof of the building.
The central access route facing the Berlin–Spandau Ship Canal starts at the imposing main entrance to the south on Nordufer. It connects to a light-filled foyer, which can be accessed on foot via a second entrance at the northerly end of the east side of the building. The main entrance to the central emergency department (ZNA) in the northern podium section is accessed from the north, with a covered entrance for emergency services on the west side (access on a one-way street from the south via Nordufer). Patients being transferred on trolleys from other locations can be brought into the building via a separate covered entrance to the east, keeping the ZNA free of traffic. The building can be joined up with the rest of the campus via a connection on the first floor to the north, while a logistical link to the existing tunnel network is possible on the first basement level, giving the option of connecting with future buildings along the southern side of Mittelweg. The helipad on DHZC’s roof is directly connected to the ZNA and the (potential) link from the 1st floor to the future buildings south of Mittelweg. Circulation areas are kept to a necessary minimum on the levels used by individual departments and inpatient wards, and the routing is designed to ensure strict separation between staff and visitors.
To maximise efficiency, this distinction is already established on the first two floors of the building’s podium in the form of core (non-public) and peripheral (public) zoning. On the ground floor (level 0), the central emergency department (ZNA) and all the specific functions form the core. The central (and decentralised) access routes into the building are designated as peripheral, as are the foyer and the side entrances. The zoning also connects the core functions on the 1st floor (level 1): the administration for patient admissions, functional diagnostics and all outpatient clinics – including the university outpatient clinic – as well as the medical care centre (MVZ).
The building’s two basement levels are mainly occupied by areas for plant rooms, as well as logistics and functional spaces. The main functional units are dedicated to storing beds ready for use and rooms for storing and preparing cleaning equipment. In addition, offices, staffrooms, the scheduling/transport service, storage rooms for logistics, areas for research and the unit for processing medical products (AEMP) are located here. The building is also connected to the campus tunnel system, which means that the basement floors serve as the main logistics level for the entire building.
The DHZC welcomes visitors via the main entrance and in the southern and eastern parts of the building. The information desk and a kiosk with a cafeteria are located in the public foyer. The central emergency department (ZNA) and Decision Unit occupy most of the ground floor. The first floor accommodates outpatient clinics, the medical care centre (MVZ), functional diagnostics and the central administrative registration area. The remaining space is utilised by large open-plan areas for medical services and a bridge to the existing building.
The second floor accommodates the management areas for the rhythmology clinic as well as the clinic for cardiology, angiology and intensive-care medicine. Cardiac imaging and a cardiac catheterisation area with seven laboratories and two operating theatres for cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) are also situated here. The third floor combines a plant for ventilation with important functional spaces such as telemedicine, social services, a quiet room and a waiting area for relatives. The fourth floor is dedicated to the operating theatres, while the fifth floor is occupied by the clinic for congenital heart defects with specialised intensive care and intermediate care (IMC) units.
While the foyer in the base and the cafeteria in the tower are open to the public, the so-called interstitial floors – the defining architectural element of the 6th and 7th floors – are mainly reserved for staff. Together with the adjoining outdoor area on the northern roof section of the podium, they form a retreat for sports activities (running track), communication and relaxation (roof terrace).
The interstitial floors accommodate the main changing rooms for staff, the physiotherapy room for groups, as well as conference and seminar rooms for teaching. This encourages interdisciplinary dialogue to extend beyond the working environment and into recreational time – an idea that is also picked up architecturally in the design of the multi-storey foyer.
Floors 8 to 10 are identical in design and offer maximum flexibility for any future changes. While floor 8 is intended as a mixed general ward with a focus on cardiology, floor 9 is designed for interdisciplinary approaches, and floor 10 focuses on cardiothoracic surgery. Floors 11 to 13 are conceptually identical and provide intensive and intermediate care in particular. They will accommodate modern patient rooms specifically designed for intensive care. One of the floors will be dedicated to the transplant ward with single rooms tailored to the special needs of these patients. The top floor has larger rooms with the appropriate level of comfort and technical equipment needed for an intensive care unit.
Located above the medical zone, the 14th floor is a space particularly designed for both relaxation and functionality. Although it primarily contains plant rooms, it also offers a light-filled public cafeteria with an outdoor terrace where visitors can relax.
The concept for the facade of Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité reflects the functional and emotional requirements of its uses. Punched windows and pilaster strips symbolise privacy and create a calm atmosphere, while the reduced window size in patient care areas ensures thermal comfort. Solid sections without windows promote a feeling of security among patients. Similar to a heartbeat, the rhythm of the facade is accentuated by the arrangement of the window elements and pilaster strips as a dynamic design feature that gives the building a vibrant yet calming effect. These elements combine functional requirements with a welcoming, healing atmosphere.
A grid of tapered aluminium supports, cornices and pilaster strips frames the windows and creates a prominent structural facade. While classic punched windows are used both on the lower floors and on those where medical care is provided, generous glazing opens up public areas such as the foyer and the emergency access to the outside. On the upper floors and in the light shafts, aluminium curtain walling creates modern and clear elevations.
The design of the facade consistently reflects the use of the building, thereby contributing to the legibility of its various functions. Technical areas such as those on floor 3 and in the two-storey crown of the tower are also integrated into the facade design by large-scale slats and are identifiable as separate zones. Floors where medical care is provided are fitted with an appropriate amount of window space for sufficient daylight, while generous glazing in public areas ensures transparency and openness. The facade reflects this zoning: asymmetrically divided windows with vertical pilaster strips alternate with closed parapet and clerestory window panels. Concave metal elements draw attention to the columns, while horizontal cornices add a fine detail to the design. Subtle differences between each floor create a dynamic rhythm that blends with the overall colour scheme and the facade grid, giving the building an iconic, timeless identity.
The EU-wide tender for planning and project management services was launched as soon as the content-related approval process was completed in September 2020. The architectural planning services were awarded via a competitive tendering process, paving the way for planning to begin in October 2021. Preliminary planning was completed in July 2022, and the document containing all the details (VPU) was submitted for review. Things started moving quickly as soon as the VPU had been approved. After completion of the construction design (BPU) in March 2023, it was submitted for further approval. Once it had been given the green light in June 2023, funding became available to award the construction contracts the following month. In November 2023, partial planning permission was received for the building pit, followed by approval of the project development plan and planning permission for the new building in December 2024.
Work started in spring 2024 with the excavation of the pit for the new building, and construction work on the shell then commenced in summer 2025. The ground-breaking ceremony was held on 25 April 2024.
Updates on construction progress here (German only) Updates on construction progress here (German only)
Der Neubau des Deutschen Herzzentrums der Charité (DHZC) schreitet weiter voran: Die Arbeiten an der 19 Meter tiefen Baugrube stehen kurz vor dem Abschluss. Ab Juni 2025 beginnt die nächste Bauphase – mit der Einrichtung des Rohbaus und der Herstellung der Fundamentplatte als Vorbereitung für die Grundsteinlegung.
Nach der zuvor beschiedenen Teilbaugenehmigung für die Baugrube, Ende 2023, wurde nun am 5. Dezember 2024 die volle Baugenehmigung für das Deutsche Herzzentrum der Charité (DHZC) am Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK) erteilt.
