The Winning Ticket
From the Rocky Mountains to the suburbs of Belfast, new benchmarks in psychosocially supportive design were set at London’s Building Better Healthcare Awards ceremony, held at the end of last year.
The message rang loud and clear to more than 500 delegates at the UK’s prestigious Building Better Healthcare Awards held at the end of last year in London. “Clinical practice in hospitals focuses mainly on treating illness while often neglecting a patient’s psychological, social and spiritual needs,” said Prof Alan Dilani, keynote speaker and director general of the International Academy for Design & Health.
 It was perhaps fitting, then, that leading international architectural practice and advocates for psychosocially supportive design, Anshen + Allen found itself the recipient of two of the major awards on offer – the Award for the Best International Design, for the Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, USA; and the Best Hospital Design for the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and Renal Services Centre at The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, UK.
Both projects demonstrate how an evidence-based approach to design can help healthcare environments become places of healing, recovery and wellness, rather than simply functional spaces for treating illness, said Prof Dilani.
A major driver in improving the patient experience at the IMC was the abundant use of natural daylight and connectivity to the landscape, while at the Freeman Hospital, the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and Renal Services Centre was distinguished by the judges for its coherent and harmonious relationship with the existing hospital, a welcoming entrance, two spacious courtyards and careful use of materials and colours to support patient recovery.
Other notable winners included David Morley Architects, which won the Best Mental Health Design for the creation of a non-threatening environment at the Bluestone Unit at Craigavon Area Hospital. Designed on a single storey, materials were chosen for their natural, soft qualities, while strong colours were used to form a soothing and non-clinical environment.
In community care, Kennedy Fitzgerald & Associates in collaboration with Avanti Architects were worthy winners for the innovative design of the Grove Wellbeing Centre in Belfast, which combines health, leisure and library services under a single roof. In primary care, the ability of architects Buschow Henley to balance functionality with humanity, and scale with intimacy ensured the Waldron Centre in Lewisham was successful.
After a decade of success, the Building Better Healthcare Awards is firmly established as the leading advocacy programme for healthcare design in the UK. Chair of the awards panel Susan Francis said: “Good design is important on three levels – impact, functionality and sustainability. This year’s exciting competition demonstrated the important role of the awards in raising the bar in the standard of the healthcare environment.
• The Building Better Heathcare Awards 2009 are scheduled to be held on 12 November 2009 in London. The entry period will open in the second quarter of the year. Further details are available by visiting www.bbhealthcare.co.uk/awards
Award for Best International Design
Anshen + Allen for the Intermountain Medical Center
Award for Best Hospital Design
Anshen + Allen, Northern Centre for Cancer Care and Renal Services Centre, The Freeman Hospital
Award for Best Mental Health Design
David Morley Architects in association with Hall Black Douglas Architects for the Bluestone Unit, Craigavon Area Hospital
Award for Best Community Care Design
Kennedy Fitzgerald & Associates in association with Avanti Architects for the Grove Well Being Centre, Belfast
Award for Best Residential Care Design
Cooper Cromer for the Erskine Care Home, Glasgow
Award for Best Primary Care Design
Buschow Henley for the Waldron Centre, Lewisham
Award for Best Sustainable Design
Househam Henderson Architects for Winthrop Hall
Judge’s Special Awards
Roger’s Stirk Harbour + Partners for The Maggie’s Centre, London; and Devereux Architects, Allies & Morrison and Tangram Architects for the Queen Square, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London
Award for Best Interior Design
Greenhill Jenner Architects, The Urology Centre, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London
Award for Best External Space
Great Ormond Street Hospital, Andy Sturgeon, Garden Design and Spacelab for the Friends Roof Garden, Great Ormond Street Hospital
Award for Best Use of Visual Art
Lime for Integrated Artwork for MAST LIFTCO and the Manchester PCT LIFT schemes
For a full list of winning and highly commended entries, visit www.bbhealthcare.co.uk
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