Early May, CARING NATURE partner archipelago architects hosted a workshop in Belgium, bringing together professionals from across the healthcare sector, with a particular focus on stakeholders from Flanders. Participants included policy advisors, knowledge officers, real estate experts, healthcare facility managers, legal specialists and architects.

The workshop aimed to foster dialogue on sustainability and circularity in healthcare infrastructure while highlighting the contributions to the CARING NATURE project.

The programme featured a presentation of CARING NATURE and the key findings of archipelago architects’ research, including insights gathered through interviews with healthcare stakeholders. Participants also had the opportunity to learn from international case studies presented by architects Maria Llongueras (Llongueras Clotet Arquitectos) and Walter Marchissio (SMAR Arquitectos), who shared practical examples of sustainable healthcare design.

A dedicated session explored the legal and practical dimensions of circularity, bringing together a legal expert and a certification body to discuss a critical challenge: how can construction materials remain genuinely reusable over the long term?

The event concluded with networking opportunities, lunch, and a guided tour, allowing participants to continue exchanging ideas and building connections across disciplines.

By facilitating these discussions, archipelago architects and CARING NATURE continue to support the transition towards more circular, resilient, and low-carbon healthcare environments across Europe.