ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
At the new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, features include planted and blue water-retaining roofs, biodiverse walls, and ‘smarter and more sustainable nature-based drainage systems’.
Patients in ‘greener’ hospitals, which feature green roofs, walls, or biophilic features, have been known to heal faster, while plant-covered uninsulated roofs have been shown to reduce the need to cool a building by 33% during warm weather.
Reduced anxiety and lower pollution Ample greenery can help reduce feelings of anxiety, tackle air pollution, and create spaces for refuge, reflection, or socialising, for a better sense of cohesion and connectivity. Water, too, can positively contribute to air filtration, mask outside noise and, together with greenery, manage carbon sequestration in the landscape, as well as add an appealing aesthetic element to what can traditionally be a fairly clinical environment. A good example can be found in our work on the redevelopment of Barnsley in Yorkshire and its new The Glass Works Square, where water is used to shape the size of the town’s newest public space, to control how it is used, and help with acoustic masking, natural air-conditioning, and air quality – as rows of water jets effectively block out particulates. The jets can reconfigure the public space to meet changing demands at different times of the day or week, with controls to alter the flow of water to open or close routes.
Data and technology can add value Turning to innovation in the form of fast-advancing smart technology, and becoming more data-led, can result in some of the quickest wins when it comes to making meaningful improvements to a building’s operational efficiency and long- term resilience, as well as to the urban built environment as a whole. Sensors are becoming more prevalent in our streetscape, gathering accurate insights on a wide range of elements – including rainfall, temperature, air quality, and more. In Canada, Arcadis IBI has delivered a ‘smart tree’ project, which included programmable LED lighting, tree health sensors, and air-quality monitors, soil sensors, and the opportunity for a remote dashboard or 5G distribution. In a healthcare setting, smart technology can generate real-time feedback to allow the building’s systems to operate in a more tailored and efficient way. Facilities managers can assess their building’s current environmental footprint and energy performance through data analytics, and use it to establish a baseline against which to make future improvements and meet sustainability targets. For hospital buildings, in particular,
42 Health Estate Journal March 2023
becoming more digitally enabled and ‘connected’ means that every single space can be used to its fullest potential in a way that best meets the needs of its intended function. Sensors can measure metrics like the proportion of a day a room is in use, with the lighting and cooling timed accordingly. Additionally, artificial intelligence-based weather prediction analytics technology will only grow in its capabilities, and could provide a vital advance warning of extreme weather to enable staff to conduct adequate risk assessment and quickly implement mitigation plans. For existing healthcare estates, where
refurbishment is the only option, we need to do the best we can to optimise the environment and its performance, so that it remains adaptable and fit for the future. Technology in the form of ‘digital twins’ and parametric modelling can be a game- changing tool here. Creating a digital ‘virtual twin’ of a hospital building allows modelling of an almost unlimited number of scenarios, while using the processing power of the computer to optimise design and planning solutions.
Looking forward With climate issues continuing to evolve, and global temperatures and weather becoming more unstable, we must transform our approach to designing healthcare facilities and infrastructure. To action change will take a collaborative effort from all estates and construction practitioners, together with a fresh and creative approach to design that takes account of a much wider scope of risks and potential eventualities. Only then will we ensure that our healthcare facilities can protect the health of their patients, become environmentally sustainable, and guard against future climate shocks. Furthermore, collaborative action towards climate resilience can solve some of the challenges facing our urban areas to support healthy communities, healthy buildings, and a healthy planet.
Geoff Southern
Geoff Southern, associate director, Buildings, and Out-of-hospital Care lead (UK) for Arcadis IBI Group, is currently responsible for leading the design of healthcare, science, workplace, residential, and mixed-use schemes for the business.
He has academic and professional qualifications in architecture and landscape architecture, working on projects in both the private and the public sector. Being dual-qualified brings significant benefits to feasibility and capacity studies, especially as an early contributor to place-making. His work embeds evidence-based research such as: n NHS England’s Healthy New Towns placemaking principles.
n The ‘4 Labs 4 Cities’ research project to examine how architecture, environmental leadership, and smart technology, can help us re-think the modern campus configuration.
n NHS strategic transformation programmes (services and estates).
n The New Economics Foundation’s ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’.
n HAPPI-informed residential for seniors and in-care environments.
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