Blood Donation Foundation SRK

Where beer used to flow, blood and traffic flow today

In the past, beer was brewed on St Gallen's Hirschenplatz, later the site served as a municipal car park. In 2009 HRS acquired the site and later invited tenders for an architectural competition. The Blood Donation Foundation of Eastern Switzerland (SRK Ostschweiz) was very interested in this project. On the one hand, they were looking for a new location for the regional blood donation centre; on the other hand, the closeness to the cantonal hospital was decisive. The advantage being that blood products could be transported safely and quickly via direct tube mail.
The Blood Donation Centre SRK is located in a delicate urban environment. However, the building blends in perfectly with urban structures and the lively Hirschenplatz.

Complex technical solutions

Due to the complex requirements in the field of transfusion and transplantation medicine, it was challenging to find the right technical solutions for the blood donation centre. In addition, various regulations had to be observed that apply to the production and storage of blood and stem cell products. The project also proved demanding for HRS from a construction logistics point of view. In order to keep the access to a large butcher's for 40-tonne trucks permanently clear, civil engineering was carried out in two phases.

Sophisticated energy concept

Sustainability was a top priority in this project. The energy for the heating and ventilation of the building is generated by an environmentally friendly CO₂-free geothermal probe and heat pump system. Ten geothermal probes, projecting 260 metres into the ground, provide natural cooling. They are used to operate refrigeration machines. The waste heat generated by the machines is converted into heating energy by a heat pump and fed to the rooms via underfloor heating or radiators. Waste heat which is not used for heating purposes is dissipated via a recooler on the roof. The rooms also always have the correct light intensity. Presence detectors with light control have been set up for this purpose. When it becomes light outside, the proportion of artificial light decreases and when it becomes dark outside, it rises again. This allows reducing energy consumption by some 30 per cent.