Healthcare Design - May 2022 - 12

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don. However, it was located in a protected
view area, which limits the height of new buildings
to preserve views to a national landmark,
in this case St. Paul's Cathedral. " We couldn't
go up more than seven floors, " says Kevin Bates,
director at Scott Tallon Walker Architects
(London), which, in association with Edward
Williams Architects (London), provided the
architecture as well as served as the lead design
and interiors firm.
S
12
ITUATED IN THE heart of London, University College London
Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is a major
teaching hospital that operates six facilities in Central
London, making it one of the largest National Health Service
(NHS) trusts in the U.K. In 2010, its role grew when
NHS appointed UCLH as one of two organizations to
house an NHS proton beam therapy center, with the other
location at Christie Hospital in Manchester, England.
Maximizing the opportunity, UCLH also decided to relocate and expand
some of its existing services, including hematology and surgical,
to the new facility to address growing demand. " Right from the start,
we knew we wanted to create something special: a place where patients
could receive the very best treatment in an environment that made it as
straightforward as possible for our staff to deliver that care, " says Laura
Churchward, director of strategy at UCLH.
An optimal site for the new hospital was found on an urban block next
to other UCLH sites and near research partner University College LonABOVE:
The building
exterior features a
" veiled " façade to
provide solar shading,
while the materials
palette was selected
to complement the
existing Portland stone
cladding of neighboring
structures. BELOW: The
hospital's 167 patient
rooms are designed with
floor-to-ceiling windows
to maintain a connection
to the outside.
After considering nearly 40 design options,
which included locating the proton therapy
center above ground, the project team decided
that going down-93.5 feet, to be exact-might
be the better solution. It would address the
necessary structural and radioactive shielding
needs of the proton center (including 6.5-footthick
concrete walls) but also maximize the development
potential of the site, Bates says.
Completed in February 2021, the 13-story
Grafton Way Building comprises five underground
stories plus a mezzanine housing the
proton center, mechanical services, and surgical
floors with eight operating theaters, while
rising above is a seven-story acute care hospital
that includes an imaging center, 10-bed critical
care unit, and inpatient wards for blood cancer,
critical care, surgical, and private healthcare
services. " Utilizing the space in this way enabled
us to deliver the best value for money and
achieve the greatest possible clinical space in
the area we had available, " Churchward says.
Recognizing that patients with blood disorders
might experience long stays, the project
team ensured the atrium and patient rooms
feel open and bright by providing access to
natural light and views via floor-to-ceiling glass
walls. For the overall interior design, inspiration
came from the concept of English gardens,
which guided the color tone, materials, furnishings,
and artwork selection. For example,
a video frieze along the top of two walls adjacent
to the proton therapy area has a dynamic
movement of clouds and various skies, from
dusk to dawn, to work with circadian rhythm.
" The light and sense of space within the hospital
was important to us, as well as the artwork, "
Churchward says. " With much of the building
below ground, having pleasant spaces is hugely
important. " -Anne DiNardo, executive editor
MORE ONLINE: For more images
of the project, visit HCDmagazine.com/
london-proton-center.
MAY 2022
HCDMAGAZINE.COM
© PAUL RAFTERY
http://www.HCDmagazine.com/london-proton-center http://www.HCDmagazine.com/london-proton-center http://www.HCDMAGAZINE.COM
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