A community healthcare facility developed to replace buildings wrecked by the 2009 floods, and a £335m new-build city hospital were singled out for praise this week at the 2014 Architects for Health Design Awards.
Two awards were presented, recognising the Best Built Project and the Best Future Project. The winners of both were announced at the 2014 Healthcare Estates exhibition in Manchester earlier this week.
The shortlist for the Best Built Project prize consisted of:
- Cockermouth Community Hospital – IBI Nightingale
- Kent Institute of Medicine and Surgery – David Morley Architects
- Kingfisher Court – P+HS Architects
- The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre – Stantec
- The Rowan – Keppie Design
The judges decided to highly commend two projects, praising the work of P+HS Architects for Kingfisher Court; and Stantec for The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre.
But the winner of the accolade, described as a ‘really wonderful design’ by the judges, was IBI Nightingale for its work on Cockermouth Community Hospital.
The £10m, 4,000sq m development was commissioned by ELIFT Cumbria and was completed last July, signalling a new beginning for a recovering community after the town was hit by floods five years ago. Following the deluge, local GP surgeries were decanted into temporary buildings on the local cottage hospital site to ensure continuity of care within the neighbourhood.
But, as the extent of the damage was assessed, NHS Cumbria decided to create a new joined-up primary and community care service, which resulted in the new community hospital.
Designed and delivered in collaboration with head tenant, Community Health Partnerships, the new building houses GP and dental practices, together with imaging and inpatient facilities. The layout promotes collaborative working between the different departments through the use of flexible, multi-functional, spaces. This reflects an aspiration to promote an integrated healthcare model.
A trophy was also awarded for Best Future Project, covering schemes that are either currently underway or yet to be commissioned.
The shortlist consisted of:
- Banbridge Community Treatment and Care Centre – Avanti Architects and Kennedy Fitzgerald
- Clatterbridge – BDP
- National Forensic Mental Health Centre – Scott Tallon Walker Architects
- Proton Beam Therapy Unit – Scott Tallon Walker Architects
- Royal Liverpool University Hospital – NBBJ
Once again, the judges chose to highly commend two projects: Banbridge Community Treatment and Care Centre; and the National Forensic Mental Health Centre.
The winning scheme is the ongoing development of the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital, designed by NBBJ which was described by the judges as ‘a wonderful and very substantial project’.
Not only has the building been designed to support the delivery of modern healthcare services, but it will also play a major new role in the city centre landscape.
A spokesman for NBBJ said: “Our approach was to create a public space at the centre of the site and position the new hospital building to form a landmark urban gateway.
“We used the four-storey drop across the site to configure the public space as a series of terraces, each with a different character, defining the different entrances. The public spaces and the building itself connect back to the context of Liverpool through our choice of materials, reflecting the use of Portland stone on public buildings throughout Liverpool.”
Work on the 94,000sq m building started earlier this year and the new hospital is due to open in 2017. It is being constructed by Carillion.
Alan Kondys, senior director of awards sponsor, VINCI, said: “Healthcare and healthcare buildings are very important to all of us as individuals.
“What we do is important to patients as it provides healthcare environments that improve outcomes and environments that are pleasurable for staff to work in.”
Featured companies
- Companies:
- IBI Group
- Building Design Partnership BDP
- Architects for Health
- Avanti Architects
- NBBJ
- David Morley Architects
- Kennedy FitzGerald and Associates
- Vinci Building UK
- Keppie Design
- Scott Tallon Walker Architects
- Stantec
- Carillion PLC
