Just a month after the flagship project was approved by the Government, HOK has been selected to design the new Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.
Under the plan, the specialist heart and lung unit will move from its current location outside Cambridge onto the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site in the city.
The £165m development was approved last month by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.
HOK’s holistic design concept embraces the Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s ambition to thrive as a centre of excellence in cardiothoracic services for the East of England.
The new 310-bed hospital will have a striking architectural form that reflects its park-like setting. By providing patients and family with a comforting, easy-to-navigate environment, the design will help to reduce stress and anxiety. Meeting places for patients, family and staff in the main atrium, gardens and restaurant will also enhance communication and collaboration across the campus.
As one of England’s largest specialist heart and lung hospitals, the new location on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will offer patients immediate access to a range of services and help to attract leading clinicians and researchers.
A new parkland setting will surround the building and feature open green spaces organised around a new pond.
“Our design integrates the latest technology with flexible, functional space to create an extraordinary facility that will deliver a best-in-class patient experience while providing an ideal workspace for staff,” said Allison Wagner, HOK’s regional leader for healthcare in London.
“We are honoured to bring our international experience to the project and to create a new global benchmark for cardiothoracic hospital design.”
The layout of the new hospital supports the trust’s model of care by creating separate zones for ambulatory or outpatient care, emergency services and diagnostic and treatment functions. The separation of these areas creates an environment that is easy to navigate, streamlines admissions and allows for efficient patient transfers.
Each inpatient floor incorporates two nursing units. The innovative double corridor design results in a compact, accessible layout with shortened travel distances and direct sightlines to all patients from the nursing stations. This approach facilitates patient privacy and dignity while enhancing patient safety and maximising views and daylight.
An innovative building structure, high-performance engineering systems and strategic placement of support spaces will facilitate the efficient reconfiguration to suit evolving clinical needs.
The design of the new hospital can accommodate future growth of up to 11,000sq m.
HOK will collaborate with Skanska to deliver the project, which is scheduled to open in 2017.
