Planning permission has been approved for a multi-million specialist therapies centre in Bath.
The new facility will be built on the Royal United Hospital’s (RUH) Combe Park estate and will combine existing therapies services with those of the world-renowned Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD), currently located in the centre of the city.
Situated in a prominent position adjacent to the main entrance of the hospital; the building will become home to general therapies, hydrotherapy, rheumatology and pain management services, as well as allied administration and support areas.
IBI Group architect and studio associate director, Richard Ager, who designed the scheme, said: “Our IBI Healthcare+ team has worked closely with the trust to create a very-interesting new outpatients centre; one that is in tune with the trust’s holistic and patient-focused model of care.
“Its architectural features have been shaped by the diverse number of therapies services that it will support, from the stimulating body shop gym that opens out onto a patients’ activity courtyard, to a calming and therapeutic spa- inspired hydropool overlooking a secret garden.”
Sustainable design features include optimum natural ventilation, rooftop wind catchers, photovoltaics, and a ‘BluRoof’ stormwater management system.
Gina Sargeant, head of therapies at the RUH and RNHRD, said: “We’re creating a nurturing environment with dedicated specialist facilities for our patients.
“Designed in conjunction with staff and patients, the centre will include a large hydrotherapy pool, specialist gym and rehabilitation equipment, and a biologics treatment space to support treatment, recovery, wellbeing and the management of long-term conditions.”
The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides general acute and emergency care for a population of around 500,000 people in Bath and the surrounding areas.
IBI Group has been working with the trust since 2008, when it was commissioned to assist in developing its estates strategy.
The team subsequently designed the reprovision of the blood sciences, histopathology and mortuary departments together with a new pharmacy and is currently designing the proposed new Dyson Cancer Centre.