Designers hired for hospital building programme
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has appointed interdisciplinary practice, BDP to lead the architectural design of its Hospitals of the Future programme.
This is part of the trust’s long-term vision to transform healthcare facilities for patients and staff in Leeds and the wider region.
BDP was named as the preferred bidder, following an international design competition process, for a new state-of-the-art adults’ hospital and a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital – providing world-class facilities for children, maternity and ambulatory care at the current Leeds General Infirmary site.
BDP’s first design concepts propose a circular hospital structure, with a large island garden and play deck at its centre.
Outdoor space and play areas were some of the facilities that children and young patients suggested in a design competition, held last year, which have inspired the architects with their latest concept.
The Hospitals of the Future project is part of the Government’s commitment to build 40 hospitals by 2030, backed by an initial £3.7bn.
The trust hopes to build the new hospitals in Leeds by 2026.
Simon Worthington, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s director of finance and senior responsible officer for the Hospitals of the Future project, said: “Our brief to designers was to create new hospitals that provide us with the best clinical design solutions.
“All through this process we have involved those who know our hospitals best – our patients, clinicians and healthcare staff who work there every day – and we’ll be engaging with them again as we move towards finalising our proposals with the design team.
“The designs are currently concept designs and will be subject to on-going detailed design development through patient, family and staff engagement during the next 12 to 18 months as the final design detail of the new hospitals for Leeds are finalised.”
Andrew Smith, head of healthcare at BDP, said: “We are delighted to work with LTHT to bring this concept to life.
“By applying our experience in designing the best healthcare facilities around the globe we are delivering a healthy and thoughtful hospital design for Leeds that looks to the future of best practice and innovation.
“Following a year where our NHS workers have, quite rightly, become the pride of the nation, we have evolved our clinically-led designs into also thinking about the hospital as an exceptional workplace.”
The Leeds Trust has appointed WSP as its civil and structural designer to work on the project along with Ove Arup as the client civil and structural technical advisor. WSP has also been appointed as the mechanical and electrical designer.
Mott MacDonald has been appointed as the client mechanical and electrical technical adviser also providing sustainability and digital advice, with Arcadis hired as cost managers on the project. MJ Medical has been brought in as medical equipment advisor.
