CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
40 new hospitals by 2030. This presents a significant opportunity to install healthy design principles going forward to ensure that these are not recurring challenges.
Gauging attitudes With so many factors to consider, it is important to assess what health estate designers currently consider to be priorities for building design. For this reason, Rehau conducted a survey of 520 M&E designers and architects as part of its Designing Healthy series, which also encompasses apartments, hotels, and educational buildings. Of the 520 surveyed, 25% worked primarily in healthcare.
Unsurprisingly, sustainability received top billing when
contractors were queried on their top priorities when specifying building materials. However, this was shortly followed by cost, highlighting another challenge that building designers are currently faced with. A notable 44% of respondents believed that wellbeing is ‘often’ value-engineered out of a building’s design at a later stage, while a further 32% stated that this is ‘always’ the case. Despite this, 98% were willing to pay for a product that had a longer expected lifespan. With this in mind, it is clear that the adoption of robust, long-lasting healthy design features is necessary to ensure that cost-cutting measures do not compromise on occupant wellbeing and sustainability further down the line.
Offsite construction A good starting point for healthy building design is the construction process itself. Here, there may be a case for offsite construction to become the new industry standard – in the interests of both sustainability and patient and staff wellbeing. Offsite construction has often been proven to be faster than its on-site counterpart, leading to lower embodied emissions for the build, and limiting noise pollution that would otherwise prove disruptive to building occupants. Moreover, this can also help to deliver better quality control and lower costs for the build. Together, these factors make a strong case for this technique. Returning to Rehau’s survey, 58% also believed that demand for offsite construction methods will increase in the light of the recent pandemic, highlighting that it may be time to explore new approaches to construction in healthcare environments.
District heating A significant portion of energy demand in the healthcare sector is attributable to the heating and cooling of the facility itself. For this reason, adopting greener methods of heat provision will prove key to falling in line with Net Zero targets. One such technology that aligns with this goal is district heating, wherein a singular heat source provides heat and hot water for multiple buildings through a shared network rather than individually, leading to carbon savings. The Government has recently demonstrated ample support for this technology – through such schemes as the £338 m Heat Network Transformation Programme, and £288 m Green Heat Network Fund, which are set to help drive uptake. Unsurprisingly, 70% of respondents to Rehau’s survey believe that demand for district heating systems is set to increase in the next five years in line with this. However, it is important to recognise that not all heat networks are created equal. The systems most commonly observed in the UK at present are third generation, supplying water at 70-90 °C, with a gas combined heat and power (CHP) system as the heat source. The true potential for carbon savings comes in the form of fourth generation networks, which circulate water at 40-60 °C
October 2024 Health Estate Journal 109
District heating networks distribute heat and hot water via a network of steel or polymer pre- insulated pipes that are buried under the ground. Rehau says the lower temperature of ‘fourth generation systems’ makes them better suited to polymer solutions, such as RAUVITHERM (pictured), and RAUTHERMEX, rather than steel.
– for lower heat losses and greater carbon savings. Moreover, this technology also synergises well with a number of low-carbon heat sources, such as heat pumps, solar thermal systems, and even waste heat recovery systems from nearby data centres.
Pipe network buried underground District heating networks distribute heat and hot water via a network of steel or polymer pre-insulated pipes that are buried under the ground. It should be noted that the lower temperature of fourth generation systems makes them better suited to polymer solutions, such as Rehau’s RAUVITHERM and RAUTHERMEX, as opposed to steel.
Systems such as Rehau’s RAUPIANO PLUS offer 17dB(A) performance at flow rates of 4 litres/ sec, to ‘virtually eliminate sounds of running water or vibrations, thus helping to maximise comfort for building occupants’.
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