RENOVATION Mike Durtnall – Senior Consultant, Arup
Revitalising ageing healthcare buildings
How many of us have heard people complain that their local hospital is crumbling, dirty or unsafe. The reality is usually that the quality of care provided is excellent. However, people’s perceptions are often influenced by the condition and appearance of the buildings from which care is delivered.
Occupiers are faced by many challenges in today’s healthcare market, not least the problem of what to do about their ageing building stock. Although some of the oldest buildings with the most urgent needs have been replaced, large numbers of buildings still in the use in the UK date back to the 1960s or earlier. Many of these replaced earlier, Victorian hospital buildings themselves and at the time were welcomed as modern, bright and spacious. After 35 years or more of service they are suffering however, both from deterioration of the building fabric and from the poor impression they give to patients, visitors and staff. The economic downturn means that
capital for investment in new buildings to replace those seen as old and tired is in short supply, with financial markets taking a much more risk-averse approach when deciding whether to invest and with public capital also less accessible. In addition, lack of space to decant into, the need to maintain ‘business as usual’ and avoiding disruption often constrains the ability of healthcare providers to undertake a major new build. These providers are therefore increasingly looking
‘The economic downturn means that capital for investment in new buildings to replace those seen as old and tired is in short supply.’
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An aerial view of Guy’s Tower.
for innovative ways to inject new life into existing buildings. A good example of an organisation that
faced these challenges is Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (hereafter referred to as ‘the Trust’), a large teaching hospital serving south east London and beyond and a founding partner of Kings Health Partners, one of the UK’s first Academic Health Science Centres. Today the Guy’s campus is home to both
the NHS Trust and one of London’s leading research universities, King’s College London (KCL). At 143 m high and reputed
to be the tallest healthcare building in the world, Guy’s Tower was designed by architects Watkins Gray and opened in 1974. The building actually comprises two towers, the User Tower, containing most of the occupied space and the Communications Tower, housing the lift shafts, risers etc. They are joined at each floor by a modest link bridge. The tower is occupied by a
Mike Durtall
Mike Durtnall, BSc, MAPM, joined the health consulting team at Arup after spending nearly 10 years in senior posts at NHS Trusts in the UK. In addition to leading capital planning, development and property, he was Project Manager on a PFI development.
Mike is an experienced Senior Programme and Project Manager and has worked on a number of healthcare assignments both in the UK and overseas. He was Project Manager for Guy’s Tower from feasibility stage through to planning.
mixture of hospital departments, a dental institute and teaching space and research laboratories run by KCL. By 2008 the building facade was
exhibiting significant signs of deterioration and the Trust realised that it needed to make a once-in-a-generation level of investment to secure its future. At the same time, the Trust wanted to take advantage of the opportunities that this level of investment offered. It selected Arup, as a one-stop, full multidisciplinary team appointment, together with sub-consultants Penoyre & Prasad architects, to help deliver its vision.
IFHE DIGEST 2013
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