9 Mar 2007

The world is not enough

Foster & Partners’ first-ever hospital, an innovative facility near Bath intended to maximise the role of design in the healing process, was set to be granted outline planning approval this week.

Foster’s debut hospital, proposed for Peasedown St John, a village to the south of the city,will treat private as well as NHS patients under a government initiative to let people choose where they receive treatment.

The hospital will have exterior balconies, and climbing plants will help it to blend with the landscape.

The proposed hospital is the first of 20 such schemes planned across the country by Centres of Clinical Excellence, a private sector partnership comprising heathcare professionals and business managers. The company has also signed up Richard Rogers and Michael Hopkins for its building programme in an effort to revolutionise healthcare construction.

Centres of Clinical Excellence argues that “a healing environment” should be a key design element in healthcare. The company also considers “contact with the natural environment” to be a vital part of this process.

The company declined to comment before the planning committee hearing, but according to its website, its facilities will incor-porate the “healing properties of natural light, the soothing effects of colour and clean, uncluttered internal spaces”.

for more

Source: Building Design, Issue 9th March 2007

Posted by Cath Kidd in Misc

1 Comment

  1. 9 Mar 2007 @ 12:05 pm Chris Potter said:

    I’m glad they’ve noticed - I wish we’d thought of that…

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