With 1,100 beds, the Ernst von Bergmann Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Potsdam. Due to the fact that only repair work had been carried out in recent years, the eight-storey ward buildings that had been constructed at the beginning of the 1980s required full refurbishment of the building structure, as well as an overhaul of the services and an upgrade of energy efficiency and fire safety. By optimising the layout and the hospital organisation it was intended to create modern, well organised and cost-efficient wards with a patient-friendly ambiance.

Before the refurbishment, which was carried out between 2008 and 2011, independent wards were located in each wing of the building and on each level. The sanitary facilities were located outside the bedrooms, a fact that had proved to be disadvantageous from the point of view of hygiene and patient-friendliness. As a solution, the principle of a grouped arrangement was developed. In order to stop the spread of multi-resistant germs and pathogens that had been detected on many occasions, smaller rooms were designed with en-suite sanitary facilities. An administrative support area was provided for the wards on each level, combining the service for the different wings. Auxiliary supply and disposal rooms are arranged in the proximity of the central registration and nursing staff rooms. The core parts of the wards have been designed with 24 and 36 regular beds respectively, spread over 1- to 3-bed rooms with en-suite sanitary facilities. In addition, there are workrooms, a nurse workroom, sanitary facilities and examination rooms to suit the respective requirements.