ZNA is an amalgamated hospital that operates at 7 sites. The ZNA Middelheim site has a general hospital, a specialised children's hospital and a children's psychiatric hospital. The general hospital is located in the cross-shaped main building opened in 1968.

The hospital has approximately 600 beds. It provides basic specialised care is all areas of medicine and intensive specialised care in a number of areas, such as cardiology/cardio-surgery, nephrology, neurosurgery, fertility and ophthalmology.

Developments in medical technology, increased activity, a higher number of staff and changes to comfort requirements have all resulted in a squeeze on space and make expansion a necessity. This will be provided for by building a technical medical block that will be able to accommodate an operating section with 10 to 12 operating theatres, pharmacy, sterilisation unit, outpatient hospital and archive section. This block needs to be in close operating communication with the existing building. The space freed up in the existing building will be converted into a refurbished dialysis unit and palliative care unit, as well as a staff changing area and office space.

The total space taken up by the expansion is approximately 6,400m², while the area of the renovations is in excess of 4,000m².

The ZNA will be required to provide care in the renovated infrastructure under the best conditions. The building needs to excel in functionality, the way people perceive it and also in terms of its equipment and technical aspects.

The recommendation is that the design team be experienced in projects of a similar scope and programming complexity within the area of building hospitals. From the time of submissions, the candidates must be able to demonstrate cooperative links that the design team can rely on to carry out the overall assignment.