In the first of our weekly articles guiding you through the categories for the 2014 Building Better Healthcare Awards, we are providing an overview of the ever-popular Building Design class.
Attracting the most entries each year, the eight awards up for grabs recognise best practice and innovation in the design of new and refurbished health and social care facilities across the UK and overseas.
We are looking for designs that recognise the needs of patients, the needs of staff and which, importantly, contribute to the local environment
The Award for Best Acute Hospital Development will showcase larger hospital schemes that are transforming emergency and planned care services. The Award for Best Primary Care Development targets community-based primary care services such as GP surgeries, dental facilities and diagnostic centres. And The Award for Best Mental Health Development recognises the huge investment currently being made to improve environments for people with psychiatric problems.
For the first time this year, the Building Better Healthcare Awards will also have two categories specifically aimed at specialist support facilities which illustrate the Government’s current switch away from treating people in hospitals and instead supporting them to live more independently within their own communities.
The Award for Best End-of-Life Development will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project for a facility specifically providing support for people receiving palliative or end-of-life care, their relatives and the bereaved. This may include, but is not limited to, hospitals, hospices, cancer support centres and mortuary viewing rooms.
The Award for Best Supportive Living Development will go to an exemplary residential facility designed to support the day-to-day living of people in need due to age, infirmity, disability or mental health issues. This will include care homes, nursing homes, retirement developments, extra care facilities, supported living developments, and other specialist housing facilities.
For the second year there is also an Award for Best Design Concept . This will be presented to an unbuilt design for a healthcare facility, from any sector, which explores new means of enhancing the patient experience. Entries can be from architects, architectural students or other interested parties and can include ideas that made it to the planning or shortlisting stage, but were never commissioned. The judges will be looking primarily for a design or idea that responds to current/future needs in a creative manner.
The judges will also be handing out an award for Best International Design , recognising how the UK sector can learn from overseas best practice. The category covers any health or social care development, the design of which could benefit the UK marketplace.
The judges are looking for entries that clearly state how the building is enhancing the care being delivered and how it is setting a standard for other future developments
And there is this year’s special gong, the Innovation in P21+ Award , which celebrates the positive impact the ProCure21+ framework has had on the modernisation of the healthcare estate.
The award is open to all six principal supply chain partners within the framework, who will be able to put forward innovative schemes they have completed over the past 18 months.
This year also sees the return of the Grand Prix Design Award . This is not open to entries, but instead the esteemed judging panel will pick their favourite project from all those entered in the Building Design class. They will choose the development they feel has made the biggest impact in terms of design and the effect it has on the people who use it.
For all awards within this class, the judges will be looking for entries that clearly illustrate how the building or buildings meet the following criteria:
- Recognise the specific needs of the group, or groups, of patients, staff and visitors that will be using the building
- Provide an inspirational sense of place and a therapeutic environment for all users, both inside and outside of the building
- Take patient safety into consideration
- Involve patients, staff and other key stakeholders from the beginning and throughout the design process
- Provide opportunities for new/enhanced methods of patient care or treatment
- Are futureproofed to meet changing service needs over the longer term
- Consider sustainability (social, economic and technical) and carbon reduction innovation within the design process
- Set a precedent for the design of future buildings
- Satisfy current healthcare priorities such as enhancing privacy and dignity, reducing infection etc
- Make a contribution, be it social, cultural, economic or architectural, to the community and locality in which the development is situated
Every entry must be accompanied by images of the building once completed, rather than artists’ impressions or sketches; and the judges are requesting floor plans to show the footprint of all developments. Entries should also include testimonials from users of the building post occupancy.
Andy Law, head judge for the Building Design class, said: “We are looking for designs that recognise the needs of patients, the needs of staff and which, importantly, contribute to the local environment.”
Entries need to be clearly written and succinct; dealing only with the details and impact of the development and how it will demonstrate improvements on what is currently available
Jo Makosinski, editor of Building Better Healthcare and organiser of the awards, added: “The judges are looking for entries that clearly state how the building is enhancing the care being delivered and how it is setting a standard for other future developments.
“When completing entry forms, it is vital you explain clearly how the development meets each of the bulletpoints set out in the judging criteria, and that images of floorplans enable the judges to picture the project in its entirety.
“It is important that the entry is completed by a senior member of the team as they are in the best position to describe the benefits and the thinking behind the project. In addition, entries need to be clearly written and succinct; dealing only with the details and impact of the development and how it will demonstrate improvements on what is currently available. This should be supported by genuine comments from patients and clinicians. If these guidelines are followed then the judges will have sufficient information on which to make an informed decision. If any of this information is lacking, then it could mean projects not getting through to the final stages of judging.”
Click here for more details of the awards, or on each of the award heading above for the criteria for that award.