
The Secure Department Slagelse
Facts
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Client Consultant
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The Region of Zealand
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Slagelse, Denmark
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2.165 m²
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Built 2021-2025
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NIRAS A/S
The new extension
The Region Zealand was mandated to expand the existing Secure Department and Forensic Psychiatry facilities in Slagelse. The project comprised a building extension of both Forensic Psychiatry unit and the Security unit.
APA, in collaboration with NIRAS, provided client advisory services to support the realization of this unique expansion.
The Secure department in Slagelse is the only one of its kind in Denmark where all admissions are based on a judicial decision (sentence) or an administrative order of dangerousness from the Ministry of Justice.
The expansion was planned and executed as a 1:1 extension of the existing units, originally completed as part of the project for the Slagelse Psychiatric Hospital approximately eight years ago.
The expansion includes:
The Secure Department Unit: Establishing an additional department with 10 places, supplementing the existing Security unit, which currently has 30 places distributed across three departments.
The Forensic Psychiatry Unit: Adding one new department with 12 places to complement the existing four Forensic Psychiatric departments.
Balancing security and well-being
The key objective of the expansion was to create a healthy and therapeutic environment that promotes well-being while maintaining uncompromised security. Design considerations included:
Healing Courtyards: Integrated to provide patients with access to calming outdoor spaces that contribute to rehabilitation and mental health.
Enhanced Security Measures: The existing perimeter wall had to be demolished during the expansion and replaced with a new double security perimeter wall, ensuring the highest level of safety for patients and staff.




Comprehensive approach
The project was carried out as a comprehensive initiative, seamlessly integrating the new department with the existing facilities to meet modern forensic psychiatric and security standards. The expansion reflects a commitment to delivering secure, therapeutic, and functional environments that support both treatment and safety.
A meaningful change
"The expansion also means that we at the Security Department now have the capacity to accommodate up to five more patients who need what the Security Department does best: providing excellent care and treatment to the most ill people in Denmark,"
- Anne Lundqvist Eisenhardt, the head nurse at the Security Department.