The creation of the Construction Innovation Hub is a response to this need.
This allows us to engage more specialist stakeholders, and make sure their requirements for each of the rooms are met.. We describe this approach as designing the hospital from the inside out.But we never lose sight of the architectural response to the brief.
Creating a beautiful space is a value-driver in itself, with a proven link to clinical outcomes.Nothing is in isolation..Flexibility through standardisation.
In the case of new build projects, our Platforms approach to design and construction will usually inform the concept design.The principle of Platforms is to design to the commonalities between spaces both within and across sectors, with the result that construction can make use of a standard ‘kit of parts’.
This brings a wide variety of benefits, not least flexibility.. By recognising that the space required for a treatment room can be the same as for an office, say, designing on that principle means that, should the need arise, it is easy to convert an office into a treatment room, or vice versa.
This is a rational, logical approach.. Our hospital for Circle Health in Birmingham was designed to a grid of four and eight metre spaces.These days there’s a lot of discussion within the sustainable design space about targets for a future net zero state, and how that relates to both operational energy and embodied carbon.
There are numerous benchmarks and targets in place for operational energy.These include UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) targets for offices, as well as London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) targets for various building typologies.
These metrics generally look at energy rather than carbon.This is partly because we know the electricity grid is going to be decarbonised.
(Editor: Basic Towels)