DESIGNING FOR PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY
A holistic approach to healthcare
Designing QEF’s Care and Rehabilitation Centre was a learning process for all involved – as all the best projects are. What has gone unmentioned so far are some of the more day-to-day challenges experienced when operating in the charity sector. QEF’s range of services support almost 10,000 disabled people across the UK each year – but funding is a constant challenge, and this did filter through to the design process. The key to ensuring that the resulting design retained its quality and purpose was two-fold. Firstly, it is important to secure the design brief at the earliest possible stage – to agree with all involved the direction of travel and the desired end destination. For a healthcare facility this is especially important, as the earlier you know what equipment and technical requirements are needed, the better you can build them into the final design.
Secondly, flexibility of design is vital – having a rigid and immovable concept will not stand the test of time. The global pandemic clearly illustrated the importance of being able to react to rapidly changing circumstances. COVID meant that QEF prioritised staff and clients’ health by remaining in their previous facilities until the first national lockdown ended – after which the neuro-rehabilitation service moved into the new centre in July 2020. The charity was even able to support the NHS by accepting stroke and post-COVID clients who had experienced a neurological event, directly from hospital – enabling people to start their rehabilitation journey during the pandemic.
Richard Hutchinson
Richard Hutchinson has been a Partner and director of LOM Architecture and Design for over 20 years, leading a wide range of architectural and interior design commissions in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Australia. He leads the practice’s work in healthcare, education, and community, and has been working with the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People on its Care and Rehabilitation Centre for over a decade. His work has also included supporting Harrow Education Authority with the masterplanning of 60 schools in the borough, and collaborating with Harrow and Watford Football Club on several community education facilities. His wider architectural experience has involved work on four continents, and includes projects in
Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and the Antipodes. More recently, he has been responsible for leading the design of Santander’s major new campus and Digital Hub in Milton Keynes, which breaks the corporate HQ mould by incorporating extensive public facilities, with the aim of creating strong links with the local community.
Richard Hutchinson plays a key role in maintaining design quality, project programming, and information management systems, at the practice. He has aligned his passion for design with project management skills to better deliver the design, as well as technical stages, on projects. ‘Creative yet structured design processes based upon clear business priorities’ now underpin the way that the practice undertakes all its projects.
Keeping in mind the four principles What must not be flexible is the commitment to the four principles outlined above. These are not the only factors to consider when designing for healthcare, and clearly the primary objective is the provision of a space suited to providing an excellent service. Yet adopting a more holistic approach can bring significant health benefits. Being part of a caring, sociable
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Tel: 01666 818087 September 2021 Health Estate Journal 83
community; having a space you can call your own; feeling a connection to nature, and being able to chart your progress towards greater independence – these all drive rehabilitation and help to motivate people to rebuild key life skills. LOM looks forward to taking these principles forward to future projects, and to further learning and refinement in the journey to achieving ever better healthcare design.
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