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The facts
Location: Downpatrick,
Northern Ireland
Client: South Eastern
Health and Social Care Trust / Health Estates
Start / completion dates: 2004 - 2009
Contract type: GMP
Procurement method: Traditional
Project construction value: £64m
Services
provided: Architecture
The project
The £64m New Downe Hospital is located in a sublime setting just
outside Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.
The landscape provides the Hospital’s designers - Capita
Architecture - with the ideal backdrop in which to develop ‘Healing
by Design’, a concept that takes hospital design away from being a
purely clinically functional layout and incorporates an
understanding of the positive effects nature and environment can
have on improving patient care.
The new facility provides a ten bed observation unit; accident
and emergency; outpatients; three 20 bed inpatient wards; coronary
care unit; 25 bed dementia ward; 25 bed acute psychiatric unit; day
procedures unit; rehabilitation - physio and occupational therapy;
obstetrics and home from home birthing unit; radiology department;
and children’s centre.
The design concept of this hospital has been inspired by the
extensive research which has proven that the psychological aspects
of your environment can reduce stress, speed up recovery, reduce
the dosage of pain killers and reduce anxiety. Consequently, the
Hospital has been zoned on a physiological level where we have
created Patient Environments, Secondary Healing Environments and a
Medical Core.
Patient Environment
The patient environment encompasses all the patients care areas
throughout the hospital which includes wards, outpatients
departments and treatment areas. The buildings form has been
configured to allow each of these spaces to have open views out to
gardens and long distance views of the surrounding landscape. This
setting is designed to improve staff motivation, aid in the
recuperation and healing process of patients and convey to visitors
that the hospital is a caring institution. The concept of bringing
together nature and the environment, was developed further through
the interior design elements with the Patient Environment. The
colours and textures reflect the natural tones of the surrounding
environment, bringing colour and light deep into the building.
Secondary Healing Spaces
The patient areas and medical core are joined together by the
introduction of the secondary healing spaces. The spaces are
created as free flowing volumes through the patient environments
and medical core. These spaces act as circulation, entrances,
waiting areas, coffee shops, providing entertainment,
contemplation, gardens and a sanctuary. The specific design of the
secondary healing spaces allows patients, staff and visitors to
interact with the building and each other. The flowing walls
through the secondary healing space creates a variation in space
which can be used to highlight entrances, niches and framed views
to the surrounding landscape.
Medical Core
The medical core is made up of elements of the building which
are intensive in their medical function. These components have been
centralised in the plan ensuring easy access from patient areas.
Their fundamental design drivers are the critical care environment
that the hospital is providing to the community. These components
have restrictive access to the public and contain core functions
such as Operating Theatres and Accident and Emergency.
Whereas previous hospital designs have been purely functional,
the New Downe Hospital responds to the needs of the patients and
staff on physiological level, introducing a ‘Healing by Design’
concept that is undoubtedly the future of healthcare
design.