INFRASTRUCTURE STEVE RICHMOND – HEAD OF MARKETING AND TECHNICAL, REHAU BUILDING SOLUTIONS, UK
Thevalue of sustainable designforhealthestates
With the British government pledging £3.7 bn for the construction of 40 new hospitals by 2030, designers and architects are gearing up for a period of investment in the healthcare sector. However, with cost-cutting measures and sustainability drivers to factor in, it is critical that these new considerations do not come at the expense of patient and staff wellbeing. Steve Richmond, head of marketing and technical at REHAU Building Solutions, discusses best practice for designing new health estates.
It has long been documented that the design of health estates has a knock-on effect for the provision of healthcare within them. This very notion has been a key sticking point for many pieces of academic research over the decades, with the Design Council’s Future Health: Sustainable Places for Health and Wellbeing among the latest to suggest a correlation between the two. Given the established link between
these two factors, it goes without saying that architects, specifiers, and contractors are increasingly recognising the value of well-designed medical buildings. This was perhaps most evident during the recent pandemic, with seven emergency Nightingale Hospitals constructed across the UK in order to provide specialist care to COVID-19 patients. However, while occupant wellbeing was
once the sole consideration when constructing new health estates, it must now be balanced against other factors. This includes mounting pressure to decarbonise in the face of ever-tightening sustainability targets. For instance, in April 2021, the then prime minister doubled down on the UK’s net zero commitments by enshrining a new target of cutting carbon emissions by 78 per cent by 2036 compared to a 1990 baseline. Government statistics from November
2021 indicate that healthcare systems account for around 4.6 per cent of global carbon emissions, suggesting that the sector has a significant role to play in enabling this transition. With all of these challenges considered, the concept of creating buildings that are ‘healthy by design’ comes into play, in regard to both occupant wellbeing
IFHE DIGEST 2023
The value of well-designed medical buildings is increasingly recognised.
and environmental impact. Only through this all-encompassing approach will the sector create long-lasting medical facilities that are fit to deal with the growing demands of the industry.
The changing face of industry While occupant wellbeing and sustainability are undoubtably the headline considerations, there are a number of wider market challenges to consider when undertaking the construction of a new healthcare facility.
Primarily, any building constructed for NHS usage must naturally comply with stringent health and safety regulations. Some guidance on this is provided in the organisation’s Health Building Notes, though there is no indication of how this should be achieved. Moreover, managing existing building
Steve Richmond
Steve Richmond is responsible for the product management, product marketing, and technical
teams for the building solutions division at REHAU UK. His remit covers district heating, underfloor heating & cooling, heating and plumbing, acoustic soil & waste, stormwater management, and sewer pipes & chambers. His role involves product strategy, key account management, business plans, supply chain management, and product marketing topics.
stock is as much of a concern as constructing new facilities, with data released in 2018-19 detailing a £6.8 bn maintenance backlog. Of this, £3.4 bn was related to issues that posed a ‘high or significant risk to patients and staff’. The challenge of upgrading these buildings so that they can deal with the modern-day demands of the sector will likely be compounded by further future challenges. Most prominent among these will be the UK’s ageing population, with both men and women alike continuing to live longer year on year.
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