New QEII Hospital
The New QEII Hospital represents a new generation of NHS local hospitals that aim to keep essential healthcare services close to the community, while concentrating specialist acute and in-patient care in fewer larger centres.
It was developed as part of an overall masterplan to deliver a sustainable development that supports the new hospital and future uses of the site. It is an exemplar of low-energy, sustainable design, and is particularly designed around the well-being of patients. The design reflects the Garden City ethos, arranged around a large central garden and semi-private gardens contained by an existing boundary hedge.
The design integrates architecture and landscape, and uses a natural palette of materials—timber, render, glass, and hung tiles—with a pitched roofline. The exterior landscaping extends beneath a generous colonnaded entrance, through the foyer, and into the expansive courtyard garden, creating a sense of openness upon arrival.
The building is composed of three ‘L’ shaped wings that define the central courtyard, around which the main public circulation is arranged. This also creates smaller. quieter garden spaces along the site’s mature hedgerow, offering patients and visitors more intimate places for pause and reflection.
Tracy Byrne, Nurse Practitioner Urgent Care Centre, New QEII Hospital
People arrive from two directions—from the car park to the south or by public transport to the north. These routes are connected by a generous, timber-lined colonnade leading to the main entrance with a central reception, café, pharmacy, and range of information and community support facilities.
The triple height main entrance space, with a vibrant mural by artist David Tremlett, is light and open, connecting the internal spaces, the colonnade, and the landscaped courtyard. Colour theming inspired by the mural guide visitors to department receptions and sub-waiting areas arranged around the courtyard, visually and spatially connected by open internal voids that enhance daylight and wayfinding.
Every waiting area benefits from views of and access to the central courtyard garden, providing natural light and a calming environment. The building is designed to high environmental and energy-efficiency standards and has achieved BREEAM Excellent accreditation.
Project Team
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