Our client’s brief was to develop a design for a new environmentally friendly hospice building with future flexibility in mind. The intention was to produce a building that was highly sustainable and exceeded Building Regulation in terms of sustainability.

A highly efficient energy strategy was developed which combined the use of passive design measures which minimised energy usage at the forefront of the design. This method was then supplemented by modern carbon-efficient energy systems which in turn allowed for a gas-free solution to be achieved without compromising the operational requirements of the facility.

To allow for future flexibility of the buildings, a combination of a steel frame with precast concrete floor slabs was utilised for a part of the building, with the other section using a loadbearing masonry option. The use of these solutions provided the most time-efficient and cost-effective solutions for both the accommodations. The architects were successful in developing a structural solution that allowed for future flexibility of the site and an energy strategy that provided a gas-free solution that exceeded Building Regulations within a hospital setting with high energy requirements due to the nature of the facility.

This project represents a ground-breaking change to the way in which hospital mechanical and electrical strategies are developed, as this was the first fully electrical development within a hospital setting.

Jemma Mason