The AZ Mary Middelares Hospital is a fusion between the AZ Mary Middelares and St. Joseph hospitals in Gent. As a condition of this merger, the government required that the new organisation be housed in one location. For the design of the new building, the hospital set up a competition. Based on years of expertise in designing for the healthcare sector, the international group of architects, DHA architects from The Netherlands, was selected along with LLOX from Belgium. The building has a clear structure with three components, which together form a U. The main entrance to the central hall forms the cross-link between the legs of the U. The key concepts include patient-oriented, innovative, contemporary, open and airy.