Hospital planning with a touch of finesse

DI Christian Lorenz, Managing Director Lorenz Consult - Project: Renovation Surgery University Hospital Graz

DI Christian Lorenz, Managing Director Lorenz Consult - Project: Renovation Surgery University Hospital Graz

DI Christian Lorenz, Managing Director Lorenz Consult - Project: Renovation Surgery University Hospital Graz

Much is changing in the healthcare sector: district hospitals are becoming specialized hospitals, and robotics are making their way in. These are just two phenomena that the civil engineering firm Lorenz Consult addresses with expertise, thorough planning, and foresight.

The success of this is demonstrated by the renovation of the surgical complex at the University Hospital Graz. CEO Univ.Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Tscheliessnigg is familiar with the challenges of the large-scale construction site during ongoing operations: coordinating noise and dust times with users, vibrations from a reinforced concrete structure in a surgical wing, and Aspergillus risk in construction dust. "All these difficulties and seemingly unsolvable problems were excellently resolved through precise coordination with the users, with the highest understanding from the construction company, but also with high flexibility in special cases through appropriate management," summarizes Tscheliessnigg.

Three construction phases for the renovation of Graz Surgery

The general planner competition for the comprehensive renovation of the University Hospital Graz's surgery department was won by Lorenz Consult in 2008 as a joint venture with the architectural firm Markus Pernthaler. They are responsible in particular for the GP coordination, HVAC systems, as well as structural engineering and structural planning.

The renovation began in 2010 and is divided into three construction phases until 2022. The first phase – a new building costing around 120 million euros directly adjacent to the existing surgical building – has already been completed. The second phase, with an investment of around 60 million euros, involves the fundamental renovation and expansion of the surgical high-rise (C-wing). "We enable the ongoing hospital operations through targeted measures," explains Christian Lorenz. This is also appreciated by CEO Univ.Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Tscheliessnigg: "We thank Lorenz Consult for their expertise, understanding, and incredible willingness to solve problems, address issues, and clear the way."

From care centers to university hospitals

Clients such as the Styrian Hospital GmbH can rely on Lorenz Consult as a one-stop shop, entrusting everything to a single responsible party. It doesn't always have to be large projects that the civil engineering firm from Graz implements with targeted coordination of organizational structure. "Our team is also specialized in small units like primary care centers ranging from 200 to 300 m²," informs DI Christian Lorenz.

Core expertise in cleanroom planning for GMP pharma, food, and electronics is another advantage of Lorenz Consult. The progress of pharmaceutical processes runs parallel to the cleanroom planning and construction progress.

Satisfaction during planning, implementation, and operation is a key criterion. Sometimes conflict management is necessary, where the joy of doing is not overlooked, because: "We still talk to each other," says DI Christian Lorenz, revealing the secret.

About Lorenz Consult

DI Werner Lorenz founded the civil engineering firm for construction in 1972. His son DI Christian Lorenz joined the company in 2000 and now leads it in the second generation. The 40 employees cover all construction-specific services with their expertise in healthcare facilities, GxP pharma & food, industrial and steel construction, as well as planning technology 5D-BIM and digitalization in construction. Lorenz Consult is a pioneer in the latter. The Graz-based civil engineering firm is particularly strong in the DACH region but also executes projects worldwide, including in Japan. In 2018, Lorenz Consult achieved a turnover of 4.6 million euros.