HOSPITAL PARKING


on car parks, not merely for their aesthetic appeal. The abundant growth of the plants used can lend a wonderful natural touch to any design, and purifies the air within the car park. They can also help to lower ambient temperatures within the space, reducing the costs of running air- conditioning.


Disruption during construction Design considerations are all well and good once the building is complete, but residents will likely be very concerned about disruptions to the hospital and the surrounding area during the works. Most standard designs and construction processes for MSCPs require structural foundations as a protective measure against subsidence, especially on greenfield land. Modern modular options are available, which are manufactured offsite, minimising disruption during the assembly process. The structures themselves can be put together in phases, decreasing the overall space needed on site, and reducing the construction period to weeks, instead of months.


Function and form The most important aspect of any car park is its functionality. It needs to be able to generate the maximum revenue possible for the Trust, and, in order to achieve this, the space must be used in an optimal way to generate the highest number of spaces for the area used. Efficiency has always been at the core of car park design, but with the Government’s pledge to deliver a Net Zero NHS by 2040, the pressure now falls on how car parks can be best adapted for the future. Given the rise in ‘car-pooling’, and the


increased pressure on government to introduce High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, adapting car parks to accommodate larger vehicles is an easy way to encourage people to travel together – with the potential to reduce the number of cars on the road, and in turn cut carbon emissions massively. Climate change is an existential threat, and as such, being able to adapt to environmental change is imperative. Modular solutions provide the most flexibility regarding their construction and design. The lack of foundations means that the structures are demountable, should the requirements for parking change in the future. Likewise, extra levels and extensions can be installed if the need for parking capacity increases.


The shift towards ‘EVs’ Designers should also consider the shift consumers have taken towards Electric Vehicles (EVs). With EV technology becoming more and more widespread, Electric Vehicle Chargers (EVCs) are appearing more and more throughout the country. Naturally, car park operators


Berry Systems says: “Gone are the days of the Brutalist car parks of the 1970s. Nowadays, most public spaces or buildings are committed to designs that enmesh themselves well into the surrounding area.”


should be aware of not just the increased demand for charging points, but also the extra revenue opportunities these present. The requirement to cater for electric


vehicles is only going to keep increasing. The sale of new petrol, diesel, and hybrid cars will be banned by 2035, and all new cars and vans will effectively be zero emission by 2040. This may sound like the distant future right now, but in reality, it’s only 13 years away. Like it or not, we are now rapidly entering the age of the electric vehicle. Sales of plug-in electric cars almost doubled in January last year. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 23,480 passenger plug-in cars were registered – that’s a rise of 90% over January 2021 – and an improved market share of 20.4%.


Accommodating the future When tackling the challenges posed by the infrastructure demands of EVs, it is important to consider the different requirements of both private and fleet users, and the various reasons they are visiting the hospital. These include whether to designate certain spaces with rapid, fast, or slow charging units. It makes sense for car parks to include charging points of each kind. This saves on the potential energy costs of providing such points, as well as designating distinct charging areas that can be filled according to need, and the duration of a user’s visit. Those visiting friends and family or


attending appointments will presumably spend the least time in the hospital, likely under two hours; thus it makes more sense to prioritise such users for rapid charging. Contractors, and any vehicles belonging to inpatients, are likely to be staying longer than two hours, meaning that fast charging would be most appropriate. Staff, who will be working for upwards of six hours, would be perfectly suited to slow charging bays.


Delineating charging points according


to need and visiting time will help keep parking bays free, and increase throughput. It also allows for any overflow from busier rapid charging areas to funnel into ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ charging areas, depending on availability.


Infrastructure challenges Providing the infrastructure for EVCs can prove to be difficult, but it is ultimately necessary if NHS sites are to meet their net zero goals. The increased demand and requirements placed on the national grid will mean that an increased EVC roll-out will have to align with the Government’s plans to develop infrastructure at its own rate. This can compound the issues faced by installation currently. According to the Government’s EV infrastructure strategy, Taking charge: the electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, ‘Chargepoint operators have reported poor grid capacity in some areas being a barrier to projects’. These issues are unlikely to improve without the implementation of large-scale updates to the national grid. Fortunately, the government is currently working ‘[…] with Ofgem to ensure [that] electricity network arrangements enable faster deployment of charging infrastructure across the whole country’. NHS Trusts and private companies are able to take advantage of the schemes offered by the Government to subsidise the roll-out of EVCs in public spaces such as car parks. The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) and the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (LEVI) have been put in place purely to promote a wider roll-out of EVCs in public spaces. The WCS alone has supported the installation of over 22,000 EVCs since 2016 .


Where will the power come from? Although these schemes have been put into place, careful consideration needs to be given to where the power will come


January 2023 Health Estate Journal 49


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