OCTOBER 2025 | £8 healthcaredm.co.uk healthcare design & management The Wellbeing Hub, Clackmanshire Scotland’s first co-located Passivhaus project Architecture on the high street How a retail unit was converted into eye care clinic Closing the gap Finding solutions for the future of NHS procurement Also in this issue: How Jersey’s Overdale Hospital links care with landscape Designing recovery
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healthcaredm.co.uk 3 Publishers Stable Publishing Limited SBC House, Restmor Way Wallington, Surrey SM6 7AH, England. t. 020 8288 1080 f. 020 8288 1099 e. sales@healthcaredm.co.uk healthcaredm.co.uk Editor Helen Adkins Production Nicola Cann Design Gemma England Media Sales Manager Terry Stafford Head of Sales Julian Walter Managing Director Toby Filby Acute Hospital Overdale South © Llewelyn Davies The publishers do not necessarily agree with views expressed by contributors and cannot accept responsibility for claims made by manufacturers and authors, nor do they accept any responsibility for any errors in the subject matter of this publication. healthcare design & management Clackmannanshire is embarking on one of the most ambitious healthcare-focused building projects in the UK. In Alloa, work has begun on a £76 million wellbeing hub and Additional Support Needs (ASN) school that places health, inclusion and energy efficiency at its core. More than a leisure centre or school, it is a facility designed to integrate services, reduce barriers to care and create a place where wellbeing is not an add-on but the organising principle. The model rests on co-location. For years, public buildings have experimented with shared use — a school gym open in the evening or a community hall doubling as sports space. But here the integration is deliberate and structural. A state-of-the-art ASN school sits alongside a full community wellbeing hub, each with its own secure entrance and operational rhythm, but linked through shared design and shared ambition. That connection allows the council to deliver more for the same capital investment while creating opportunities for pupils with complex needs to access mainstream activity in a safe, supported environment. It also provides a framework for health partners to embed services within a welcoming community setting. On page 12, Ross McGuire, team leader Wellness Hub, explains how the health dimension sets the project apart. The wellbeing hub will host not only gyms, pools and fitness classes, but also two dedicated consultation rooms — one clinical, one for softer interventions such as financial advice or family support. GP practices, NHS Forth Valley and the Health and Social Care Partnership are already mapping ways to use the space for rehabilitation, physiotherapy, social prescribing and outreach. The building is deliberately designed with free-to-access zones from cafés, courtyards and viewing galleries to quiet spaces where a casual visit can become the first step to care. Trained staff will engage proactively, offering introductions to fitness, wellbeing programmes or health advice. This is healthcare brought closer to the community, designed around touchpoints that feel natural rather than clinical. The decision to pursue Passivhaus certification is more than an architectural flourish. By designing to the strictest energy-efficiency standard, Clackmannanshire is aiming to safeguard provision and ensure long-term affordability. Energy savings of 60–80% are expected compared with typical buildings, freeing up revenue to sustain health and wellbeing services that might otherwise be squeezed. In healthcare terms, the impact is straightforward; buildings that are cheaper to run are easier to keep open, and facilities that stay open support healthier communities. For healthcare professionals, the lesson is clear. Co-location is not only about bricks and mortar, but lowering thresholds for engagement, embedding services where people already are and designing for long-term viability. In Alloa, a small Scottish council is showing how a single project can bring together education, leisure, health and social care in one sustainable, inclusive setting. Others will be watching closely — and for good reason. Helen Adkins Editor Helen.Adkins@stable-media.co.uk Editor’s Letter October 2025 Health at the heart of co-location
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IN THIS ISSUE... October 2025 7 News A round-up of all the news from across the sector 11 Project: SEON Vision eye care clinic We look how a former retail unit was converted into eye care clinic in Kingston, designed by Medical Architecture 12 The Wellness Hub, Clackmanshire HDM editor Helen Adkins speaks to team leader of the Wellbeing Hub, Ross McGuire, about Clackmannanshire’s first-of-its-kind co-located leisure centre, wellbeing hub and Lochies ASN School — a £76 million flagship project which started construction in September, to Passivhaus standards 19 The Overdale Hospital Landscape-led design and biophilic principles shape Jersey’s £710m new hospital, where nature and healthcare come together to boost recovery and wellbeing 24 Adhesive-free flooring Donna Hannaway, Forbo Flooring Systems, explores how adhesive-free flooring solutions can contribute to material circularity, minimise disruption during refurbishments and achieve calm interior spaces 27 Keeping critical systems cool How a Birmingham hospital used long-term cooling hire to boost patient comfort, safeguard its data centre and ensure continuity 28 Glazing for wellbeing and design Andy Lake, sales director, Pyroguard, looks at how today’s specifiers in healthcare are taking advantage of the multi-functional benefits of fire safety glass 31 Comment: A prescription for smarter procurement As NHS faces increasing pressure, the cracks in the procurement system, connecting policy ambition with frontline delivery, are becoming impossible to ignore. Ben Jones, Pagabo, offers a solution 24 12
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healthcaredm.co.uk 7 NEWS look forward to seeing the new site take shape.’ The Barnes project is part of a wider programme to modernise mental health facilities across South West London. This includes the £150m redevelopment of Springfield University Hospital in Wandsworth, the forthcoming Richmond Royal Wellbeing Centre and the planned £110m redevelopment of Tolworth Hospital in Kingston. In total, the programme represents around £280m of investment in local mental health services. ■ Work begins on new NHS mental health facility and special needs school in Barnes Construction has begun on a new NHS mental health facility and a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school in Barnes. The development brings together investment from South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and LocatED, an arms-length body of the Department for Education. The project will provide new, modern facilities for community mental health services and education in the borough. The work is being carried out by Willmott Dixon through the Southern Construction Framework (SCF). Richard Poulter, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the South, said: ‘We’re pleased to be delivering this project, which will provide high-quality spaces for mental health services and education in Barnes.’ Vanessa Ford, chief executive of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, said: ‘This is an important step in improving the environment and experience for our patients and staff. The new facilities will help us bring care closer to home and continue our work to reduce the stigma around mental health.’ The new NHS building will accommodate a range of community mental health services, which were temporarily relocated to Livingston House in Teddington in 2023. Once complete in 2027, the Barnes site will operate alongside Teddington to improve access to services across the borough. The new school, the London River Academy, will be run by the Beckmead Trust and provide 90 places for children with social, emotional and mental health needs. Lara Newman, chief executive of LocatED, said: ‘By working in partnership with the NHS and Beckmead Trust, we are helping to create new facilities that will support local children and families.’ The redevelopment follows several years of consultation with staff, patients and local residents. A separate residential development, led by LS Estates, is also planned for part of the site. Kathy Sheldon, chair of the Friends of Barnes Hospital, said: ‘The redevelopment will make a real difference for patients, carers and staff. We’ve valued being involved in shaping the plans and
8 healthcaredm.co.uk NEWS Plans have been submitted for a £30m cancer treatment and research centre at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, marking a major milestone in the development of the Sir Bobby Robson Institute. The project, supported by Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle Hospitals Charity, will be funded by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. Once complete, the centre is expected to transform cancer care in the North East by pioneering new treatments and significantly increasing the number of clinical trials available to patients. The Sir Bobby Robson Institute would unite the existing Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre with the hospital’s cancer and blood disorders research teams. Housed within a purpose-built, three-storey building, the new facility will be equipped with cutting-edge technology and designed to support the delivery of more complex and larger-scale trials. It is anticipated that clinical research activity will increase by 50% within five years, giving patients across the North East, north Cumbria and North Yorkshire earlier access to innovative therapies. The Trust expects the institute’s impact to be felt not only regionally but also worldwide as new discoveries contribute to the global fight against cancer. Main contractor Robertson Construction North East has been appointed to the project through the ProCure23 framework. The team has been working with the Trust and P+HS Architects since January, providing pre-construction and design services from the earliest stages through to technical design. The architectural design takes inspiration from the molecular structure of a hexagon, a symbol linked to Rubraca, the first cancer drug to be developed in Newcastle and known as the ‘Geordie cancer drug’. This motif reflects the centre’s commitment to scientific excellence and its ambition to build on the city’s proud legacy of cancer research. Neil Kennedy, regional managing director of Robertson Construction North East, said: ‘This milestone marks the next step in delivering a facility that will have a profound impact on cancer treatment and research across both the North East and globally. Our team has worked closely with the Trust and the charity to ensure that, if planning is approved, the project can move seamlessly into delivery.’ The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has already raised £20m towards the cost of the new centre. A fundraising campaign is now set to launch to secure the final £10m required to make the vision a reality. If planning permission is granted, construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with the centre expected to open its doors in 2028. ■ Plans submitted for £30m Sir Bobby Robson Institute in Newcastle A new day case unit at Milton Keynes University Hospital has helped slash waiting lists, with more than 330 procedures carried out in just three months. The mobile facility, provided by Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, includes an operating theatre and recovery ward staffed by Vanguard’s clinical team. Since opening, it has reduced the hospital’s Milton Keynes hospital day case unit cuts waiting lists overall waiting list by around 600 patients, including 554 who had been waiting the longest for treatment. The unit’s flexibility has allowed the Trust to tackle pressures across a wide range of specialties, including general surgery, urology, gynaecology, orthopaedics and oral surgery. Claire McGillycuddy, associate director of operations for Surgery and Elective Care, said the extra capacity had transformed the hospital’s ability to respond to urgent needs. Surgeons and staff have praised the calm and efficient environment within the Vanguard unit, while patients reported positive experiences and welcomed the shorter waiting times. By taking pressure off the hospital’s main theatres, the day case unit has enabled Milton Keynes to focus resources on delivering complex care while maintaining progress on routine surgery backlogs. McGillycuddy said: ‘This unit has had a significant impact in a very short time, helping us to cut waiting lists and improve the experience for patients. The support from Vanguard has been invaluable in enabling us to deliver high-quality care quickly and efficiently.’ ■
healthcaredm.co.uk 9 NEWS Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and construction company Morgan Sindall have marked a major milestone in the development of a new building that will transform urgent and neonatal care for children and young people. The structure, now complete, is due to open in 2026. It will house an expanded NHS health boards across Scotland are set to deliver significant energy and carbon savings as four major conservation projects go live. Schemes at NHS Borders, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Tayside have now been completed, while NHS Forth Valley has successfully finished its first year of operation. Together, the projects will contribute almost 14,500 tonnes of carbon reductions towards Scotland’s net zero targets. The initiatives were delivered by Vital Energi through the Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency Framework and an energy performance contract, which guarantees verified savings over a 12-month period. At Borders General Hospital, energy upgrades are expected to save £279,000 and cut 344 tonnes of carbon each year. Improvements include lighting, HVAC, valves, insulation and a new 680 kWp solar array. Lanarkshire’s project will deliver £172,000 in annual savings and 191 tonnes of carbon reduction across two sites. NHS energy projects add 14,500 tonnes to Scotland’s decarbonisation targets Measures include rooftop solar, pump upgrades and fabric improvements. At the West of Scotland Laundry site, bespoke heat recovery systems will save 715,000 kWh of gas and cut emissions by 122 tonnes each year. Tayside has installed 269 solar panels, five air source heat pumps and new insulation across three sites. These upgrades will save £27,000 and reduce emissions by 186 tonnes annually. Forth Valley’s scheme, now 12 months into operation, has cut 116 tonnes of carbon and saved nearly £60,000 in energy costs. The project also introduced battery storage and an air source heat pump following additional funding. Regional manager at Vital Energi, Kieran Walsh, said: ‘These projects mark a fundamental step in Scotland’s transition to net zero. We’re proud to support the NHS in delivering real carbon savings that benefit both health boards and their communities.’ ■ Landmark facility at Alder Hey on track to open next year emergency floor alongside the UK’s first surgical neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). On the ground floor, the emergency floor expansion will bring together paediatricians, emergency clinicians, advanced practitioners and family support workers. The facility will include a 16-bed assessment unit, a co-located urgent treatment centre and a same day emergency care unit, designed to speed up treatment and reduce waiting times. The scheme has been supported by £9m of NHS capital funding and a further £1m from Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Above this, the purpose-built surgical NICU will provide specialist care, meaning babies needing surgery will no longer face transfers between Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Developed through the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership, the unit will feature single cot rooms with en-suite parent bedrooms, allowing families to remain closely involved in their baby’s care. Alder Hey Children’s Charity has provided more than £3m to enhance the unit. John Grinnell, chief executive at Alder Hey, said: ‘This is more than a building – it’s a symbol of our ambition, partnerships and belief in a better future for every child. The demand on children’s healthcare continues to grow, and this facility will ensure we can meet that need for years to come.’ ■
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healthcaredm.co.uk 11 NEWS A disused retail unit in Kingston upon Thames has been converted into a private ophthalmic clinic, offering a range of diagnostic and surgical services. The project, completed in January 2025, is the first dedicated premises for SEON Vision. It was designed by healthcare architects Medical Architecture, with contractor Hanevo leading the build. CONVERSION FROM RETAIL TO CLINICAL USE The ground-floor premises, located in a residential area, required significant internal alterations to meet clinical requirements. The layout was reorganised into functional zones to manage patient and staff flows and to fit a range of facilities into the space. These include three consultation rooms, a diagnostic room, a laser room, an operating theatre and a recovery area. The reception and waiting area were designed to make the most of available natural light, with timber screens used to create a mix of open and semiprivate spaces. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Adapting the retail unit for healthcare use meant addressing several structural and regulatory constraints. Ceiling heights were limited by the location of beams, requiring careful coordination to ensure compliance in clinical areas. Ventilation was delivered using a ceiling-mounted mechanical system with heat recovery to achieve the necessary air change rates. Mechanical and electrical services were kept as discreet as possible but configured to meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration standards, including relevant Health Building Notes and Health Technical Memoranda guidance. ACCESSIBILITY AND FINISHES The interior scheme was developed to support patients with visual impairments. Materials were selected to create clear contrasts between floors, walls, doors and fittings, meeting light reflectance value (LRV) guidelines for accessibility. Dark timber finishes were used on wall protection, cupboards and joinery to help with wayfinding and orientation. The building sits next to the Grade IIlisted St Peter’s Church, which restricted external alterations. Only modest new signage was introduced, designed to be consistent with the clinic’s identity while keeping visual impact to a minimum. PROJECT TEAM AND DELIVERY The scheme was developed with input from a wide project team including RSP Consulting Engineers, LH&E Cost Consultancy, Mortimer Isaacs, Nova Acoustics, CHPK Fire Engineering and Healthcare Regulation Solutions. The architects said the project required detailed planning to balance compliance with the constraints of the existing structure. SEON Vision’s consultants said the completed facility has provided a purpose-built environment for their services in a location accessible to the local community. ■ www.medicalarchitecture.com SEON Vision eye care clinic, Kingston We look how a former retail unit was converted into eye care clinic in Kingston, designed by Medical Architecture PROJECT
12 healthcaredm.co.uk PROJECT Clackmannanshire’s £76m pioneering hub Wellbeing meets learning HDM editor Helen Adkins speaks to team leader of the Wellbeing Hub, Ross McGuire, about Clackmannanshire’s first-of-its-kind co-located leisure centre, wellbeing hub and the ASN school Lochies — a £76 million flagship project built to Passivhaus standards HELEN ADKINS: Let’s start at the beginning. When was the project first conceived and why? ROSS MCGUIRE: The project stems back to Covid. Alloa’s Leisure Bowl — our only major leisure facility in Clackmannanshire — was ageing. After it closed, the Council decided that the continued costs no longer represented best value, and decided to invest in something new and bespoke, which was The Wellbeing Hub. Originally The Wellbeing Hub was a standalone idea, and there was a separate discussion with the Scottish Futures Trust about a new school for children with profound, multiple, severe and complex additional support needs to replace the existing Lochies School. Both schemes were initially explored as individual entities. However, in 2023, Clackmannanshire Council brought them together as a single co-location project which met the Scottish Futures Trust’s Learning Estate Investment Programme objectives and the Scottish Government’s co-location directive. That allowed us to deliver the hub, retain swimming provision for Clackmannanshire and meet the funding framework’s aims around co-location, effectiveness, reduced carbon and economic viability. The decision scaled the project up massively — from a ‘let’s build a new swimming pool for £5–10 million’ idea to a £76 million programme (down from the
healthcaredm.co.uk 13 PROJECT THE WELLBEING HUB Location: The Pavilions, Alloa West Client: Clackmannanshire Council Project delivery: Hub East Central Scotland (Hubco) Main contractor: Robertson Construction Central East M&E specialists: BakerHicks Architects: JM Artchitects Construction start: September 2025 Expected completion: Autumn 2027 original £77.5 million capital commitment, so we’ve actually saved against the initial allocation). It became a big talking point across Scotland because there isn’t a like-for-like equivalent. How is this project different from others? The project is unique in the UK because it’s the first fully co-located ASN school and non-restricted leisure facility sharing the same site. Both facilities will operate concurrently, allowing community leisure and wellbeing programmes and activity to happen without compromising school access or safety. We’re also pursuing full Passivhaus certification across both the school and hub. Planning permission was approved in February 2025, and in August, the council signed off the final business case and the full budget allocation. We’ve started enabling works for site preparation to hold the programme, while full construction officially started in September. What does ‘co-location’ mean here? Practically, how will the two parts run? Co-location is a Scottish Government priority, and there have been lots of community facilities built within schools, with schools using them in the day and leisure trusts or community groups coming in evenings. That’s effective but also brings restrictions — for schools in terms of evening access, and for communities because they’re attached to a main school. Our version is different. The school and the wellbeing hub stand as one structure but operate independently. The school runs 9am to 4pm, while the hub runs from 6am to 9:30pm, so both can operate simultaneously. In the evenings we can extend community access into the school where appropriate. The shared site helps us scale the building, pursue Passivhaus to keep energy costs down and make the whole project more cost-effective. Is everything physically within the one building and how does that work? The building is made up of two linked wings. The school has nine class spaces at 61m² each, which is a good size and more appropriate for the learners’ needs. These rooms house up to six pupils >>
14 healthcaredm.co.uk PROJECT per class with severe and complex needs. There’s also a dining hall, a rebound therapy room, a hydrotherapy pool, staff resourcing and an NHS/medical room. Every classroom has its own hygiene room, plus stimulation and quiet rooms, and there’s an internal courtyard. The wellbeing hub sits alongside with a connection point, so in the evenings we can access the school’s hydrotherapy pool. The hub’s main entrance leads to the lower pool halls, the sports hall, the children’s play area, the café and a wellbeing courtyard. Upstairs there’s a large gym space, a multipurpose room that can function as a dark room for sensory deprivation or used primarily for adult fitness classes, and a larger multipurpose room for conferences and adult fitness, but also for community groups or for school use when appropriate. The big attraction is that we’re a wellbeing hub first and foremost. The leisure aspect must effectively pay for wellbeing — that’s the nature of it — but having the severe and complex needs school attached means we can support a controlled integration into mainstream activities where that benefits pupils. We’ve built multipurpose areas so we can run, say, an adult spin class, then switch the room to a movie space, a band room or a low-stimulus quiet environment. The term ‘wellness’ gets used loosely these days. How do you distinguish wellbeing from straight leisure provision? We are building a leisure centre, but the business case is structured differently. The pay point for access isn’t at the front door, but at the zones. The foyer, café, quiet space, viewing galleries and community courtyard are free to access. Anyone can come in, spend time and leave without paying a penny. The goal is to capture and support people who want to come along but need help to take the next step. Our staff training reflects that. Our team will still set up courts and run the pools, but they’re also the first point of contact for everyone walking in. They’ll be trained to engage and ask: ‘Is there something we can help with? Would you like to see the gym? Have you been in a swimming pool before? Do you need to talk to someone about a personal concern?’ It’s proactive engagement. We’ll always have memberships — swim memberships, gym memberships and hall hire for clubs. That revenue keeps the lights on. But because the paid zones are behind the free areas, we can offer those front-of-house spaces at no cost. On the upper level we’ll run community sessions; we’ll also hire the conference room to NHS and partners. Crucially, we have two free-to-access consultation rooms built purely for medical and social referrals. One is a soft room for, say, family crisis, child protection and/or financial planning. The other is a clinically designed room — essentially a GP-style consultation space. How will health partners use those rooms? And how would a GP referral actually work? We’ve met GP practices, the Health and Social Care Partnership and NHS colleagues to map options – drugs and alcohol rehabilitation, physiotherapy, straightforward GP-type referrals or social prescribing. Some people struggle to attend their GP. The idea is that if the first conversation happens here, we don’t then send them away to a second venue. We walk them to the gym and introduce them to instructors. It’s an onsite, onestop support. GPs are extremely busy, so it’s about logistics. Discussions with the GP cluster are positive. Options include a rotation, a specific day a week, and using the NHS travelling van on site for early-stage diagnostics and simple interventions. We’re exploring everything that enables that first-stage engagement without turning the building into a GP surgery, because that can put people off. People may walk in off the street needing help. If the right professional isn’t on site, we use
healthcaredm.co.uk 15 PROJECT our signposting process and either bring the service in or take the person out to it — we have a minibus for exactly that. The aim is to avoid people having to come back three, four or five times – unless they want to! You’ve mentioned the outdoor environment a few times. Can you describe the site? It’s a big site. The wellbeing hub building itself is just under 200 metres end to end. Outside, we’ve got a wellbeing park, an early learning centre, adventure treelines, a fully inclusive children’s play frame, a rock wall and a basketball court — all free to access, no bookings. We’ll even lend you a basketball. The point is to engage parents, carers and family members naturally, in a pleasant place where people want to be. If they wish to transition indoors, they’re welcome, but there’s no pressure. We’ve laid out a linear path around the whole site, roughly a kilometre, suitable for a parkrun, which we currently don’t have in Clackmannanshire. It will be a start/finish for local races and running clubs are interested. We’ve also oriented parts of the landscape to make the most of the setting. One elevated viewing point looks towards the Wallace Monument, another line looks out towards Stirling Castle with the Ochil Hills to the north. There are therapeutic gardens for the school with a memorial tree, bike stores and education points around the site so visiting schools can explore. In the centre we’ve created a community courtyard with water features, trees and planting beds that groups can look after. Take me through the design process and consultation. Who’s been involved? Early on we set up a co-design group including families, young people with disabilities, teachers, community groups, older adults and minority groups. The brief was simple – if you could design this place, what would it have? We gathered that input and iterated the design several times to accommodate as much as possible. We then took the basis to delivery partners — HSCP, NHS, Forth Valley College, local clubs, community groups etc — and into procurement for main contractor, M&E specialists, and JM Architects. After procurement we carried out value engineering. We trimmed roughly 1,000m² without compromising the core goals. We lost one multipurpose room on the lower level and some circulation space, but the primary functions are intact. Passivhaus for a co-located school and leisure hub with four pools sounds challenging. What have been the biggest technical challenges and the benefits? If it were just a sports facility, it would be easier. Passivhaus is about energy retention, thermal envelopes and airtightness — it favours vertically layered buildings, which is partly why St Sidwell’s works over four storeys. Our school must be single-storey, so the building spreads, which Passivhaus doesn’t love. That means upping construction standards to maintain the envelope, retain heat and reduce consumption. We’re within certification range for the building. Pools are a separate process because of their unique nature but that work is in hand. The benefits, outside of the energy cost reduction, are the finish and certainty. With Passivhaus, every junction is recorded, inspected and documented. That doesn’t mean perfection, but it forces very high standards. The internal environment is more stable, and we >> ‘The point is to engage parents, carers and family members naturally, in a pleasant place where people want to be, and, with the exception of the main pitch, everything is fully accessible, whether someone uses a wheelchair or walking stick, or has a sensory or learning disability’
16 healthcaredm.co.uk PROJECT spend less time heating the building because it retains heat. The Passivhaus leisure centre, St Sidwell’s Point, is three years in and reporting positive energy savings; they took time to settle and we’ve learned from them. To our knowledge, we’re the first to combine a single-storey school with a two-storey leisure building under Passivhaus in one co-located scheme — that’s where the complexity lies, but also the innovation. Safeguarding and separation: how do you keep the school secure while sharing a site? Think two buildings joined by a corridor. The school has its own gated entrance, perimeter fencing, and secure playgrounds and courtyards. Internally there are controlled doors that only authorised people can open during the day, with full alarm systems. The school and hub have separate evacuation routes and muster points. We can completely isolate the school during the day, then open appropriate areas for community access in the evenings. It avoids the single-entrance issue that often forces a facility to be either school or community. Do you see this model influencing future projects? We’re not even built yet and people are already asking to see plans and talk about Passivhaus and the co-location model. Capital is generally easier to secure than the revenue to operate and maintain buildings. Passivhaus and co-location help with that by reducing energy costs and improving utilisation. For £76 million we’re delivering a stateof-the-art ASN school, a major leisure and wellbeing facility with four swimming pools, and extensive inclusive grounds. It’s possible you’ll see fewer stand-alone buildings and more combined facilities in the future, because they deliver better value and better outcomes. I think this direction of travel makes sense; colocate, design for inclusion and build to standards that keep running costs down for decades. Before we wrap up, talk me through the free-to-use model and how you see community impact growing from day one. Everything external, other than the main pitch, is free. The linear path, play areas, bouldering wall, courts are all free and fully accessible. The site is designed so people want to be there. That creates natural touchpoints — a chat at the café, a question at reception, a drop-in at a consultation room — where we can start support. A social enterprise or council partner may run the café and deliver courses, which helps workforce development locally. HSCP and NHS partners are working with us on programmes and clinical use of the rooms. Third sector colleagues will deliver in our spaces. The council’s Family Wellbeing Partnership will offer a one-stop support base. It’s deliberately designed so the wellbeing element is protected from being squeezed by day-to-day income pressures — co-location and the funding model make that possible. Clackmannanshire Council are building this as a place for everybody. Inclusion isn’t an add-on, but the starting point. And the co-location is there so young people aren’t isolated at the back of a site but are right in the middle of a community venue, with the support to take part safely and confidently. That’s the aim. ■ ‘The project is unique in the UK because it’s the first fully co-located Passivhaus-certified wellbeing hub and ASN school’
Trusted by healthcare facilities in the UK and around the world for over 60 years. marketing@venesta.co.uk Call us on 01474 353333 www.venesta.co.uk Speedy installation. All Vepps Healthcare units are pre-plumbed at our manufacturing facility, meaning on site installation times are reduced by 50%. Healthcare compliant. All products are HBN 00-10 Part C compliant and parts used throughout the range are WRAS listed or self-certified as compliant. Easy maintenance. With lockable, hinged doors and panels, it’s quick and easy to access concealed duct space to complete ongoing maintenance work. Guaranteed quality. Offsite manufactured in the UK, with perfect panel and door alignment, all with a rock-solid 10 year guarantee for added peace of mind. CDQMA Partners with We know healthcare. For many years, innovation has been our inspiration and product excellence our goal. Our expert knowledge, pioneering attitude and established partnership with Armitage Shanks have inspired our market-leading healthcare products. Our solutions are designed to meet the requirements of HBN 00-10 Part C, while suiting your individual budget and requirements. HEALTHCARE ESTATES 2025 Our team will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate our industry leading pre-plumbed Vepps Healthcare range. Visit us at Stand G3 on 21st & 22nd October.
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healthcaredm.co.uk 19 PROJECT In February 2025, Jersey’s Planning Committee voted unanimously to approve the new Overdale Acute Hospital — a £710 million project that will redefine the island’s healthcare estate. Much of the discussion around the scheme has focused on cost, phasing and procurement, but what distinguishes Overdale from other hospital projects is the centrality of its landscape. LDA Design, appointed as landscape architect, has developed a masterplan that makes green infrastructure the organising principle rather than an add-on. The scheme aims to achieve a 31% biodiversity net gain, restore ancient woodland, integrate movement and exercise into the public realm, and apply salutogenic and biophilic principles to both patient and staff experience. A SITE SHAPED BY TOPOGRAPHY The Overdale site covers 14.3 hectares on a plateau above St Helier. The land falls steeply to the south and west, with sweeping views to St Aubin’s Bay and across woodland valleys such as Le Val André. This topography brings both constraints and opportunities; access routes are challenging, but the elevated position offers the kind of long vistas that research consistently associates with faster recovery, reduced stress and improved staff wellbeing. The design strategy embraces this terrain. Building massing is stepped back to preserve sightlines, while paths are designed with ‘rest awhiles’ — benches placed at intervals — to make the steep slopes manageable for patients, staff and visitors. The design is rooted in evidence showing that proximity to nature and access to daylight improve outcomes. >> Jersey’s Overdale hospital puts nature at the heart of care With unanimous planning approval secured, Jersey’s £710 million Overdale Acute Hospital will fuse clinical care with ecological renewal. At its heart is a landscape-led strategy — from woodland restoration and biodiverse green roofs to therapeutic gardens — designed to promote recovery, resilience and community wellbeing ‘Nature is not a backdrop at Overdale but a driver of design, influencing everything from ward windows to woodland restoration’ Overdale garden © Llewelyn Davies
20 healthcaredm.co.uk PROJECT At Overdale, low-set windows in wards ensure that even patients confined to bed have views into tree canopies and towards the bay. Green roofs are planted with biodiverse mixes that provide seasonal interest and attract pollinators, while photovoltaic panels are integrated so they do not dominate the view. Internal courtyards and roof terraces bring natural light and planting deep into the hospital footprint, so that even clinical areas maintain visual or physical contact with outdoor space. These measures reflect the salutogenic model of design, which focuses not only on treatment but on promoting health and resilience. For operators and clinicians, they provide a framework for embedding landscape into the everyday experience of care. WOODLAND RESTORATION AND ECOLOGICAL GAIN One of the most ambitious aspects of the scheme is the restoration of Le Val André, the ancient woodland edging the western boundary. Centuries of invasive Holm Oak colonisation have reduced biodiversity, so the plan includes selective clearance to create conditions for native Jersey Pines, understorey planting and meadow edges that support pollinators. The landscape strategy is projected to deliver a 31% biodiversity net gain, a figure rarely achieved in acute hospital projects. Gains will come from new woodland planting across the escarpment, enhanced hedgerows, and a mosaic of meadows, lawns and sensory gardens. Extensive green roofs will be designed to be floriferous, maximising both ecological value and visibility from patient wards. THERAPEUTIC GARDENS AND OUTDOOR PROGRAMMES The masterplan also distinguishes between wild landscapes intended for contemplation and structured gardens ‘By committing to a 31 per cent biodiversity net gain, Overdale shows how a hospital can serve as healthcare infrastructure, ecological asset and community landscape’ Internal courtyard © LDADesign Acute Hospital © Llewelyn Davies Woodland Gardens © LDADesign
healthcaredm.co.uk 21 PROJECT designed for therapy. Woodland therapy gardens, located close to the paediatric ward, provide natural play spaces and opportunities for outdoor rehabilitation. Courtyard gardens are designed to support horticultural therapy and volunteer participation, while memorial trees and sensory planting establish connections between patients, families and staff. For healthcare managers, these outdoor environments are not decorative extras. They are conceived as clinical assets, supporting programmes in mental health, rehabilitation and child development. Beyond therapeutic use, the landscape is structured to promote active lifestyles for staff, patients and the wider community. A new east–west active travel route will cut across the site, linking St Helier with Le Val André, West Park and Westmount Gardens. Given the steep topography, routes are carefully graded and supported with rest points. Seating and fitness equipment are integrated along pathways, supporting both rehabilitation for patients and healthier commuting for staff. In this way the campus landscape functions as both clinical infrastructure and community health resource, extending the hospital’s role beyond its walls. MATERIALITY AND PLACE IDENTITY Material choices reinforce the hospital’s identity as a Jersey institution. Granite from the island is used for entrance plazas, anchoring the campus in its local geology. Mature Jersey Pines are planted to provide immediate character and scale, complementing the architecture and tying the public realm to the surrounding woodland. The contrast between structured entrance courts and the looser woodland edges provides variety and choice for patients and visitors. Some areas are ordered and predictable, others wilder and immersive. For patients moving between treatment and recovery, this range of landscape experiences can be significant. The green strategy also supports >> Overdale Acute Hospital © Llewelyn Davies
22 healthcaredm.co.uk PROJECT climate resilience. Green roofs provide insulation, help manage stormwater and extend habitat. Woodland restoration increases carbon sequestration and reduces erosion on the escarpment. Shaded routes mitigate urban heat effects, which are increasingly important in a warming climate. Photovoltaic integration on biodiverse roofs brings energy generation together with ecological enhancement. PUBLIC REALM AS COMMUNITY ASSET The masterplan ensures that large parts of the campus remain publicly accessible. Families can use walking routes, exercise stations and play areas without needing to enter the hospital. This inclusivity is deliberate: the hospital is designed not as an isolated facility but as part of the wider community. For an island with limited public open space, this shared use creates additional social value from the £710 million investment. By opening its landscape to the public, Overdale is positioned as both healthcare facility and community parkland. WHY OVERDALE MATTERS Overdale is part of a wider reconfiguration of Jersey’s health services, but its approach to landscape has wider resonance. Acute hospitals have traditionally been defined by their clinical efficiency and their parking capacity. Increasingly they are expected to deliver on biodiversity, carbon reduction, resilience and community benefit. By committing to a 31% biodiversity net gain, embedding woodland therapy gardens and creating active travel corridors, Overdale shows how hospital campuses can serve simultaneously as healthcare infrastructure, ecological assets and community landscapes. If realised as intended, Overdale will provide Jersey not only with a modern hospital but with a therapeutic green campus where landscape is integral to recovery, staff wellbeing and long-term community health. ■ Overdale hospital entrance © Llewelyn Davies Client: Government of Jersey – New Healthcare Facilities Programme (NHFP) Architect: Llewelyn Davies Landscape architect: LDA Design Engineering; Arup (civil, structural, MEP) Planning consultant: Temple Capital cost: £710 million Gross internal floor area: 47,729 m² Site area: 14.3 hectares Landscape strategy • 31% Biodiversity Net Gain • Restoration of Le Val André ancient woodland (removal of Holm Oak, promotion of native Jersey Pines and meadows) • Extensive biodiverse green roofs with integrated photovoltaics • Woodland therapy gardens adjacent to paediatrics • Active travel corridor linking St Helier to West Park and Westmount Gardens • Jersey granite plazas and mature pines framing entrances Construction start: 2025 Completion: 2028
Healthcare Specialists Axis has over 37 years of experience and expertise working across all sectors and has earned a serious reputation as a market leader in healthcare solutions with the company’s end-to-end abilities to: • Innovate & Design • Manufacture & Test • Supply & Install • Service & Maintain Axis is an active member and contributor to the Architects for Health network and also has the coveted award of a place on the ProCure23 Recommended Suppliers List enabling the company to continue contributing to new build, refurbishment & maintenance projects within NHS properties, across the UK. Transforming Healthcare Delivery Axis manufactures the innovative Flo-Motion® manual sliding door system, developed specifically for the healthcare sector. The Flo-Motion® door system was first conceived, designed and developed in-house by Axis, while working with architects BDP and main contractor Laing O’Rourke on the new, state-of-the-art, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, which opened in 2015. The doors have extruded aluminium profiles, a self-supporting goalpost frame and use re-circulating ball guides on a low resistance linear track with an ingenious damper, which absorbs the energy of the heavy doors for fingertip control. The operation force of 10N is astounding for doors of this size and weight. The Flo-Motion® range, which now includes single, bi-parting and telescopic doors, was an instant success with David Houghton, the Project Manager for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, stating: “The extra-large, easy opening, glazed sliding doors have transformed the way single rooms work to deliver healthcare.” Multi-Award-Winning Awards for Axis and their Flo-Motion® door range also followed, including: • Laing O’Rourke Award for Innovation • IHEEM Product Innovation Award • BBH Best Internal Building Product Award • European Healthcare Design Award EPD Verification for ‘Top 10’ Doors In 2024, the Top 10 most specified doors in the Axis Flo-Motion® range all received the Environmental Product Declaration, from the Building Research Establishment (BRE). “We’re very proud of the sustainable benefits of our doors, which help specifiers too, with the increasing responsibilities they have, for delivering buildings more sustainably.” Explore Flo-Motion Doors Online Architects, specifiers and main contractors can explore Axis Entrance Systems and their Flo-Motion range online, on the BIM Object and the NBS Source platforms, as well as the company’s own website: www.axisentrances.com World Class Partners Perfectly complementing their Flo-Motion® range of manual sliding doors, Axis is proud to also have UK distributor partnerships with both Doorson and Manusa – two world class innovators and manufacturers of advanced automatic sliding doors and access systems. See the Doors in Action Visit the Axis team and see the latest product developments and innovations in healthcare doors at Healthcare Estates Exhibition 2025, at Manchester Central, in October – you’ll find Axis on STAND F20. More and more architects, specifiers and main contractors on healthcare projects are reaping the benefits and outcomes of working with Axis Entrance Systems and their world class range of: “Making an Entrance” • Manual Swing & Sliding Doors • Automatic Swing & Sliding Doors • Hermetically Sealed Doors E: sales@axisentrances.com www.axisentrances.com For enquiries & more information: T: 01604 212500 Axis MD, Rob Brunero
24 healthcaredm.co.uk FLOORING the largest surfaces areas in a building, any cost, time or carbon savings that can be made with the flooring will be invaluable. It is here that the rise in popularity of adhesive-free flooring can bring with it numerous benefits. TRADITIONAL VS ADHESIVE-FREE FLOORING Traditionally, flooring in healthcare establishments are installed fully adhered using glues or tackifiers, which are applied directly to a subfloor with the flooring laid on top. However, this method means that once a flooring solution has reached the end of its useful service life, becomes damaged, or is simply outdated and needs replacing, it can be very difficult to be recycled or reused due to the adhesive contamination on the back of the material. This is where adhesivefree flooring solutions can help. Installing adhesive-free flooring can involve the use of contact tape, ‘click’ Adhesive-free flooring: Sustainability, functionality and design As well as delivering a net zero NHS by 2045, sustainability cannot mean a compromise on performance and patient care. Donna Hannaway, head of marketing UK and Ireland at Forbo Flooring Systems, explores how adhesive-free flooring solutions can contribute to material circularity, minimise disruption during refurbishments and achieve calm interior spaces The NHS contributes around 5% of the total UK carbon emissions, whilst NHS England alone is responsible for 40% of public sector emissions . With a target set by the health service to hit net zero by 2045, environmentally conscious alternatives must be considered, especially when it comes to building refurbishments. This could be the materials used or the methods with which they are installed. As one of together tiles, and planks or adhesive tabs (a combination of magnets and drytack adhesive) to secure the flooring to a subfloor. In turn, this allows the flooring to be easily uplifted at its end of life and either reused in other spaces or recycled, helping to contribute towards material circularity and ensuring waste flooring isn’t simply disposed of in landfill sites. While sustainability is rightfully a priority for the NHS and wider built environment, this also has to be balanced with providing a quality service to patients – whether that is through providing a calm and welcoming environment, with careful interior design choices known to have a positive impact on patient recovery and outcomes, or the availability of beds. Here again, modern adhesive-free flooring solutions can rise to the challenge. One major benefit is the faster installation speed they offer. In fact, going down the adhesive free route can reduce installation time by as much Multicoloured mini terrazzo Forbo’s adhesive-free flooring for healthcare
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