Japanese studio Shigeru Ban Architects and local studio AMBK have designed a cross-laminated timber expansion for Ukraine's largest hospital, which is located in Lviv.

Designed to increase hospital capacity in the country, the surgical centre was announced by the mayor of Lviv at the end of June at the Lviv Urban Forum.

Construction of the extension will begin early next year.

"Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the country's largest hospital based in Lviv is reaching capacity and in urgent need of expansion," said the studio.

"Shigeru Ban Architects in collaboration with local architects AMBK, will deliver a new surgical centre for the existing emergency hospital to be able to treat more patients."

The six-storey building will be constructed from cross-laminated timber (CLT). Renders of the development show a rectangular block with a gridded facade with an expressed-timber entrance canopy.

Internally, the building will be arranged around a central atrium containing the reception area and surrounded by exposed timber columns. The timber structure will be displayed throughout.

According to Shigeru Ban Architects, the structure has been developed with Swiss engineering studio Hermann Blumer so that it will not require metal joints.

Shigeru Ban Architects founder Shigeru Ban was one of the speakers at the recent Lviv Urban Forum, which discussed plans for the country's reconstruction. Along with the hospital, his studio is also developing an affordable panel-type housing system named Styrofoam Housing System (SHS) for Ukraine.

As president of the Voluntary Architects' Network, Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Ban also recently worked with the non-governmental organisation to install his Paper Partition System across temporary shelters in Europe that are housing Ukrainians fleeing the war.