Health projects are known for taking an extremely long time from initial Business Case to completion of construction, and requiring significantly sized teams in order to design and document them. Known for being an all-rounder (I suggest that’s a kiwi can-do attitude coming through!), and confident in the BIM space, I was invited at HOK to take part in the design and documentation of the landscape, public interiors and some of the facade for this project – The Royal Papworth Cardiothoracic Hospital in Cambridge, UK.
From the architecture side, this was my first experience really working closely with medical planners to make sure that the shape of the building worked with the spatial requirements of the brief, that windows were in the correct location and that dimensions fit within a module so that the facade could be affordably constructed.
From the interiors side, I had been working on several public and private health facilities worldwide before this, and so, together with the interior designers we tried to make the public spaces beautiful and accessible while taking care with specification for both public use, cost and robustness. There was a special joy in creating moments where natural light could be fed into spaces to make them pleasant healing environments for patients.
From the landscape side, working together with landscape architects, we developed the layout of the forecourt ensuring the pavements were accessible and safe, the planting was appropriate and the parking requirements were met.
Nine years after construction began, the building was opened in 2019. One day, I hope to go back and visit and see it in person!
Acknowledgements to HOK. Please visit their site for more information.