In fact, we’re already seeing a wide range of benefits from the adoption of Platforms (P-DfMA) and our wider approach using modern methods of construction.
It must be as efficient as possible, and house some of the most advanced technology in the world, and yet feel human and welcoming.And whatever else it is today, we know that it may need to be something very different – although we don’t know what – in just a few months’ time..
The opportunity within healthcare design and build is to address all of these competing value drivers successfully.This is the essence of our core approach – design to value.. Our overarching aim is to deliver a beautiful building which achieves excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety and user experience, savings in cost and carbon, precision in budget and timescales, and flexibility to allow for future developments, planned and not.. A holistic approach to healthcare.Every project starts with a brief, of course.
A clear brief allows for the design to be checked continuously as it evolves.Our approach to developing a brief is to place it firmly in the context of being a part of the process which ends with a fully functioning hospital.
The brief cannot – or should not – exist in splendid isolation.
It must take into account the massing of the hospital, the plant and M&E requirements, servicing facilities, the extent and location of the car parks.In this context, the request for Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) has increased notably over the last few years.
The production of WLCA is required by BREEAM and the GLA.In a BREEAM NC 2018 assessment, it is possible to achieve up to 7 credits by doing a WLCA, so for developments that aspire to Excellent or Outstanding ratings the analysis of embodied carbon has become very important.
The GLA requires the preparation of a WLCA pre-planning and at post-construction and requires the analysis of the results both with the current carbon factors and a decarbonised scenario.. Additionally, bodies such as the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), RIBA, GLA and UKGBC, have developed guidance documents on embodied carbon, which include specific targets and roadmaps to zero carbon prior 2050.Whilst these four bodies have been essential in pushing the agenda for low carbon, there has been some confusion across the industry due to the misalignment of targets and WLCA scopes between them as demonstrated in Figure 3.