New Downe Hospital

The £64m New Downe Hospital is located in a sublime setting just outside Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. The landscape provides the Hospital’s designers - Capita Architecture - with the ideal backdrop in which to develop ‘Healing by Design’, a concept that takes hospital design away from being a purely clinically functional layout and incorporates an understanding of the positive effects nature and environment can have on improving patient care. The new facility provides a ten bed observation unit; accident and emergency; outpatients; three 20 bed inpatient wards; coronary care unit; 25 bed dementia ward; 25 bed acute psychiatric unit; day procedures unit; rehabilitation - physio and occupational therapy; obstetrics and home from home birthing unit; radiology department; and children’s centre. The design concept of this hospital has been inspired by the extensive research which has proven that the psychological aspects of your environment can reduce stress, speed up recovery, reduce the dosage of pain killers and reduce anxiety. Consequently, the Hospital has been zoned on a physiological level where we have created Patient Environments, Secondary Healing Environments and a Medical Core. Patient Environment The patient environment encompasses all the patients care areas throughout the hospital which includes wards, outpatients departments and treatment areas. The buildings form has been configured to allow each of these spaces to have open views out to gardens and long distance views of the surrounding landscape. This setting is designed to improve staff motivation, aid in the recuperation and healing process of patients and convey to visitors that the hospital is a caring institution. The concept of bringing together nature and the environment, was developed further through the interior design elements with the Patient Environment. The colours and textures reflect the natural tones of the surrounding environment, bringing colour and light deep into the building. Secondary Healing Spaces The patient areas and medical core are joined together by the introduction of the secondary healing spaces. The spaces are created as free flowing volumes through the patient environments and medical core. These spaces act as circulation, entrances, waiting areas, coffee shops, providing entertainment, contemplation, gardens and a sanctuary. The specific design of the secondary healing spaces allows patients, staff and visitors to interact with the building and each other. The flowing walls through the secondary healing space creates a variation in space which can be used to highlight entrances, niches and framed views to the surrounding landscape. Medical Core The medical core is made up of elements of the building which are intensive in their medical function. These components have been centralised in the plan ensuring easy access from patient areas. Their fundamental design drivers are the critical care environment that the hospital is providing to the community. These components have restrictive access to the public and contain core functions such as Operating Theatres and Accident and Emergency. Whereas previous hospital designs have been purely functional, the New Downe Hospital responds to the needs of the patients and staff on physiological level, introducing a ‘Healing by Design’ concept that is undoubtedly the future of healthcare design.