ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Enough space for breaks? ‘Mindful Eating’ requires dedicated eating space for at least 25% of regular building occupants, with a variety of seating types provided. This allowed us to include eating areas such as cafés and staff rest areas as a key part of the design, where on other schemes these may have been lost to ‘value engineering’. In collaboration with the furniture designer, and with stakeholder review, this allowed us to make a feature of these areas, which are vibrant, well-used spaces in the completed building. One challenge in meeting this criterion was having confirmed occupancy for the building at an early enough stage in the design process to size these areas correctly. However, we were able to make a good estimation through working with stakeholders. The client also wanted to include space for visitors to the building, allowing us to make these areas even more generous than required by the standard. These elements allowed space within the floorplan to be ring-fenced, providing for breaks away from workstations, and also requiring support from the client with operational policies – for example in relation to providing time for adequate breaks. Feedback we have received from users is that these spaces are really successful, and that people who were eating at their desks previously are now looking forward to taking lunch breaks together
n Light There is a strong focus on natural light, size, and location of windows and rooflights in relation to occupied areas, and especially workstations. Along with the positioning of openings, the light transmittance of the glass specified was also an important consideration. We have had some comments from users since the building has been in use on how fantastic the quality of light is, especially compared with other nursing training facilities, which are often in repurposed hospital wards. As you would expect, the M&E design was required to follow the CIBSE code for electrical lighting, while credits in relation to visual balance and consistency of lighting colour between rooms were also included.
n Movement This concept area promotes physical activity in everyday life, aiming to integrate movement opportunities into the fabric of the building, and recognising that sedentary behaviours are associated with poor health outcomes.3
There are a broad range of features within
this concept, which have influenced several parts of the design, and here P+HS coordinated input from the client, landscape designers, and the furniture designer among others.
Movement is encouraged within the building itself;
artwork is included within stairwells to help make taking the stairs an appealing option, while signage helps to make the location of staircases obvious. A flexible and comfortable working environment is provided through adjustable workstation equipment – including a number of sit-stand desks. Included within the Academy are facilities for active occupants comprising showers and lockers, as well as cycle parking. There is also a regular cycle maintenance surgery provided by the Trust’s Bright Northumbria charity. Organisational benefits include subsidised gym memberships, and access to the Wellness Hub in the main NSEC hospital, within walking distance at the same site. In addition, staff from the main hospital are now walking across the site to the conference suite in the Academy, whereas previously they were driving to a different site to utilise this function. Despite the challenges of needing to provide a large amount of parking on the site, movement outside of the building is further encouraged with a pedestrian-friendly environment, designed in collaboration with the landscape architect, Colour Urban Design. The building’s main entrances open onto a pedestrian area between the building and the car park, featuring footpaths, cycle parking, seating, and landscaping. A walking trail has been created for building occupants to use designed by ONE Environments. This is planned around the body of water opposite the Health and Care Academy. The trail through green space includes features such as sculptures, seating, and picnic tables, and building users have told us that they use this space not just for breaks, but also for quiet conversations.
n Thermal comfort The WELL Thermal Comfort concept is focused around supporting human productivity, and providing a maximum level of thermal comfort among all building users through improved heating, ventilation, and cooling system design and control, and by meeting individual thermal preferences. The features in this concept area are primarily related
to the M&E services design which P+HS needed to coordinate with. There are various systems implemented in the building to provide thermal comfort. The main one is air-conditioning, but panel heaters and an overdoor heating curtain to the main lobby are also included. Units are preset to the most comfortable setting based on calculations completed at the design stage, but there are wall-mounted controllers giving users flexibility to alter the temperature if required.
Far left: The new Academy viewed from the walking trail.
Left: The dedicated staff garden.
June 2025 Health Estate Journal 55
Meldrum Group
Assura plc
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