ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Laura Carrara-Cagni
Laura Carrara-Cagni is a founding director of Cagni Williams, and establishes solutions that provide a singular architectural identity, forging strong relationships between interior and exterior spaces. She has extensive experience of projects in the civic and culture, education, health, and residential sectors. Laura speaks
at universities and conferences as a leader in innovative architecture, both in the UK and worldwide. She has been a juror for architectural and contemporary art awards, a reviewer at the ILAUD, and enjoys writing, and has been published in several publications. As Co-Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe Life Science and Healthcare Product Council, she is a committed champion for the development of better future healthcare and life science. Over the course of her
30-year career she has delivered many important projects for Cagni Williams, and previously for Hopkins Architects in London, UK, and for Laurent and Emmanuelle Baudouin Architectes in Nancy, France.
MMUH’s standardised internal structural grid layout provides the framework for spatial reconfigurations, supporting everything from minor refurbishments to major future expansions. This spatial flexibility not only positions MMUH as a ‘hospital of the future’, but also aligns with sustainable principles by extending the building’s lifespan through thoughtful, adaptable design. This future-proofing concept we designed 10 years ago is now one of the requirements identified by the New Hospital Programme.
Building quality and flexibility through prefabrication Prefabrication played a crucial role in achieving high- quality construction and future adaptability at MMUH. The prefabricated façade – including the ETFE-inflated pillow roof over the Winter Garden – allowed for a rapid, efficient build while maintaining rigorous quality standards. As a consequence of the single grid, the prefabricated unitised façade is regular throughout the building. This modular approach also enabled significant adaptability. For example, following the Grenfell Tower incident, we were able to update the ward façades from the original specification of timber to terracotta
Above: An aerial view, with the ETFE-inflated pillow roof over the Winter Garden clearly visible.
Left: A drawing highlighting the site constraints.
without dismantling the existing facade support system. By building with resilience and quality in mind, MMUH stands ready to adapt to future standards and changes in the healthcare landscape.
Green spaces and biophilic design One of the most distinctive elements of MMUH is its integration of biophilic design principles – a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and ‘space and place’ conditions, and thus promoting wellbeing through its the presence of nature. Greenery is woven throughout the hospital – from multi-level terrace planting to the 17-acre fully landscaped site with a large public green space, large enough for a cricket game. These green spaces do more than soften the building; they actively contribute to mental health, encourage physical activity, and support local biodiversity, not just for the benefit of patients, but the staff too. As a hospital dedicated to its community, MMUH’s green spaces serve as shared community assets, making the hospital a welcoming and inspiring destination beyond healthcare needs. Six internal courtyards bring daylight into the ‘hot’ clinical areas, and are fully landscaped with mature trees and a variety of planting to offer natural views deep in the hospital plan. MMUH is at the forefront of
The architects dub the MMUH ‘a milestone in hospital design’.
62 Health Estate Journal February 2025
digital healthcare innovation, incorporating advanced systems that improve both patient care and operational efficiency. Central to this is an automated robotic distribution system (ARDs) that handles the delivery of medical supplies, medications, and essentials throughout the hospital. This technology minimises the manual handling of materials, reduces errors, and significantly boosts the speed and accuracy of logistics.
Author image courtesy Agnese Sanvito
Courtesy of Paul Raftery
Courtesy of Jack Hobhouse
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