It is not just completed developments that will be singled out for praise by the judges of the 2013 Building Better Healthcare Awards .
For the first time there will also be an award for Best Conceptual Healthcare Building, recognising the efforts being made to come up with innovative new designs that may not yet have been realised.
One of five awards in the Building Design class, the prize will be given to an idea, concept or actual design for a health or social care facility that 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 stage, but were never commissioned, for example submissions for procurement competitions. This can include, but is not restricted to, designs for major acute hospitals, community health centres, dental practices, specialist medical facilities, and doctors’ surgeries. Entries will be welcomed from the UK and overseas
The judges will be looking primarily for a design or idea that responds to current/future needs in a creative manner.
Your entry you will need to sum up the scheme in 500 words or less, being sure to address how it meets the criteria the judges have set out for the specific category. Click here for the criteria for this award.
For example, the design of the building must take into consideration patient safety and opportunities to improve patient care and treatment pathways. Entries should also explain how the buildings are sustainable over the longer term and how they set a precedent for the design of future healthcare facilities, both in the country they are based and further afield.
This overview of your entry is your chance to grab the attention of our judges. Therefore, failure to cover all of the points laid out in the criteria could result in your entry not making the shortlist. The judges can only make their decision based on the information you put in front of them.
The written entry for this category should be accompanied by images and/or blueprints clearly illustrating the idea behind the conceptual building.
Our judges are some of the most widely respected in the field of building design and the patient experience, so they will be looking closely at the overall impact the design has on the way staff, patients and visitors move around and use the building. While bold architecture and feats of engineering can undoubtedly produce buildings that make a striking impact, your entry must explain the thinking behind them and how they positively affect patients and the local environment.
Building Better Healthcare editor, Jo Makosinski, said: “The 500-word overview of your scheme is your first and only chance to grab the attention of our judges. Therefore, failure to cover all of the points laid out in the criteria could result in last-minute requests for further information or clarification, or your entry not making it through to the finals. The judges can only make their decision based on the information you put in front of them.
“It is also 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.
“We are very excited about this new award as we know there are a lot of good ideas out there which may not yet have been truly realised.
Do you think you have a project that could qualify for the Award for Conceptual Healthcare Building ? If so, click here to read more about this year’s event and all the categories, and to submit your entry. The closing date is 28 June and each entry costs just £99 plus VAT. You can enter as many categories as you wish, but entries must be adapted to suit the particular category being entered.
Click here to see all the winners from 2012 and the reasons they were singled out for praise by our judges.
If you need further help or advice on your entry call Jo Makosinski on 020 7193 8083 or email jom@hpcimedia.com. There are also some exciting opportunities to sponsor awards and to exhibit at the champagne reception that will be held prior to the awards ceremony. To discuss a tailor-made package, or to book your seat at the ceremony, contact Stephen Fontana by email at stephenf@hpcimedia.com or call 020 7193 1641; or Ali Badr alib@hpcimedia.com or call 020 7193 6654.
Best of luck!