ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
‘Pioneering’ ward layout for Altnagelvin’s North Wing
Kevin O’Neill, Architect at HLM Architects, explains how the practice developed what it believes is a ‘unique’ eight-bedded cluster layout for the 144 single bedrooms within the new North Wing at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry in Northern Ireland. He describes this as ‘a unique concept within healthcare design’, with ‘the potential to drive substantial efficiencies’, and the flexibility to cater for changing patient demographics, and future shifts in demand and operational patient care needs.
When thinking of hospitals, many people might imagine an historic, clinical, or even anxiety-inducing environment. Being designed with its medical function in mind, a sense of welcome or attractiveness can sometimes take a back seat. However, it is possible to help these spaces perform even better in the delivery of their intended function – the provision of high-quality care and treatment – while simultaneously making them inviting places that enhance the experience of patients, staff, and visitors alike. This requires careful consideration when it comes to hospital design, and a vital part of this hinges on reimagining our approach to the traditional layout of wards and patient accommodation.
Transforming the old view of hospitals Hospitals have been planned in the same way for many decades. One notable change is the transition from the traditional Nightingale style, multi-bed ‘dormitory’ style wards, towards single- room occupancy. While there are many opinions within healthcare about the pros and cons of single-room occupancy, there is no argument that a single bedroom not only affords more privacy, but also helps reduce the risk of infection and is, in many instances, necessary for those with more serious conditions who need closer monitoring in recovery. This need has never been more highlighted than following the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Within the design of a single bedroom
there are several room types that have been well developed through HBN 04-01, Adult in-patient facilities: planning and design, and the NHS’s repeatable rooms programme, which tend to follow a typical design format. Some of the most common types of private room and en- suite arrangements for inpatient wards include the ‘inboard’ approach – which maximises opportunities for external windows and natural light, but has an
The HLM Architects team worked on the design and construction of the new North Wing development at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry in Northern Ireland.
obstructed view of bedheads for nursing staff, and ‘outboard’ – which offers unobstructed views of bedheads but, on the flip side, reduces scope for external windows and opportunities for natural light.
North Wing at Altnagelvin At HLM Architects, our team worked on the design and construction of the new North Wing development at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry in Northern Ireland. The standout feature of this project is the eight-bed cluster layout for the 144 single bedrooms, a unique concept within healthcare design, leading to more efficient and carefully considered space planning that we don’t believe has been seen elsewhere. This was achieved using a third room type to those mentioned above – the ‘interstitial’ layout. Within a repeatable layout, these rooms are often used within a typical format of two single bedrooms with two centrally interlocking en-suites.
With thoughtful planning and
consideration of the placement of the bedheads and en-suites within each room, at HLM we have adapted the typical format for an ‘interstitial’ layout to form a cluster of eight bedrooms. By offsetting two of the bedrooms, we were able to create an area which provides the nursing staff with 100% unobstructed observation of all patients within the cluster from one central nursing station. The layout also allows us to maximise natural daylight, and encourage patients’ connection to the outside landscape, as well as optimising secondary natural light within the corridors. Along with reducing travel times significantly for nursing staff, these were our key objectives.
An easy-to-navigate space A new main entrance further reinforces the vision of creating an easy-to-navigate, transparent, and light-filled space, achieved through the design of a naturally lit atrium with a three-storey curtain wall.
April 2023 Health Estate Journal 51
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