Adapting and repurposing healthcare facilities
As patient needs change, populations age and medical practices evolve, adaptation and repurposing allows facilities to reconfigure spaces, optimise patient journeys, accommodate new equipment and care models, improving patient experience and care targets.
Building less by maximising the use of existing assets can assist decarbonisation opportunities through reduced resource consumption, minimised energy usage and fostering social value to surrounding communities. The adaptive reuse of empty spacesor upgrades to existing assets offers an opportunity to bring much-needed healthcare facilities into communities while addressing waiting times and health inequalities.
Our healthcare team helps clients to ‘future proof’ designs, to meet the emerging demands of modern healthcare practice. Whether renovating existing spaces to accommodate new medical equipment, improving energy efficiency, reducing operational costs, or improving resilience to environmental risks, we use digital tools such as Neuron and MassMotion to provide detailed performance analysis. The result is a unified picture of asset performance, energy forecasting, people movement and user experience.
From building, environmental and structural assessment to design upgrades and adding new space to existing buildings or upgrading buildings systems and incorporate new technologies, we prioritise collaboration with clients, stakeholders and design teams future-proof facilities, deliver first class care, while demonstrating commitment health, safety and sustainability.
Reducing operational emissions
The optimal way to reduce embodied carbon emissions within a healthcare building is to critically appraise existing building stock to determine opportunities. Assessing the current retained estate is more than carrying out a property survey; it requires an efficient approach to identify key opportunities and challenges. We work collaboratively with clients to understand performance requirements, before our engineers provide guidance on the potential to make the best use of existing stock.
Maggie’s Centre at University Hospital Southampton is a space for patients, family, and friends – providing emotional and practical support to those dealing with the negative impacts of a cancer diagnosis.
Working closely with Maggie’s, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A), we transformed a car park into a light-filled centre with a key focus on user experience.
The vision for Maggie’s in Southampton was for the centre to be designed with the needs of their end users in mind. Maggie’s engaged with us early in the design process to represent the views of cancer patients and provide valuable feedback which helped to inform the final design. Feedback from end users included that the centre needed open and flexible spaces that can be adapted to meet a variety of patient needs. The centre also features insulating rooms which help keep the centre warm while creating acoustically separate spaces for private consultations and centre administration.
The design team implemented passive design principles to help reduce the centre’s operational carbon. The building orientation, form, layout, and internal organisation all help to limit solar gains. This happens through shading provided by the surrounding garden and designing the space to be fully naturally ventilated – eliminating the requirement for mechanical cooling.
Get in touch with our team
Explore
Find out more about how our services can support you:
Projects
Explore more healthcare projects
Shaping the future of emergency care in the Midlands
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH), UK
Ntunga Maternity centre brings vital healthcare access to mothers and children
Ntunga Maternity Centre in Rwanda, Rwanda
A new hospital-based research centre for greater collaboration
Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, Australia
Advising on one of Australia’s most technologically advanced hospitals
The new Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia
Healthcare
We support healthcare clients across the public and private sector to respond to the pressures of this changing environment – helping them to embrace digitalisation, decarbonisation, automation and improving operational and clinical productivity. Our services span operational strategy and masterplanning, through to technical, engineering and design solutions.