Medipark

Name: One Darnley Road
Price range: $

Blackburn, UK

Services

Sectors

People

project overview

Nurturing collaboration to shape the future of healthcare

Medipark in Blackburn combines state of the art medical teaching and core hospital administrative space with lettable research facilities lettable work space into one single centre of activity. This hub will provide an outstanding learning and work experience, and drive innovation through pioneering research, whilst relieving pressure on the adjacent Royal Blackburn Hospital. All focussed around a central heart with a library, cafe and social spaces, Medipark is a testament to harnessing the power of cross collaboration, to shape the future of healthcare.

As part of a wider masterplan, we have included a variety of formal and informal workspaces, organised around an adaptable layout giving the possibility to expand and cater to an increase in demand as required.

As stress, poor performance and health are intrinsically linked, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHNT) wanted an environment which promotes better health and wellbeing for its workforce. Designed to WELL Platinum Standard and to be net zero carbon in operation, we have incorporated the benefits of biophilic design throughout. Our landscape design team has also opened up the surrounding area, forging additional connections between users and nature.

Medipark evidences how different clients, each with differing needs and working arrangements, can work together to create a unique environment, which will stimulate the local economy, improve wellbeing and drive recruitment into the health service, all within a sensitive ecology.

Leveraging partnerships to create a progressive future for healthcare

Explore all the different areas of Medipark through our flythrough video here and see our vision come to life.

project aims

Driving innovation and growth through investment

Over time, the teaching and administrative facilities at Royal Blackburn Hospital had become extremely piecemeal, outdated and inefficient, with some based in the original Victorian hospital and others distributed across the main hospital buildings. The standard of the hospital’s non-critical care workplace settings were becoming a real barrier to recruitment and retention which is further exacerbated by the lack of research capability.

Another driver was ELHNT’s strategy to increase student numbers by 50% over five years. Their main university partner, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), had been providing additional teaching space but with their own growth, this was also becoming a challenge to timetable these spaces. As they were, the current facilities could not accommodate this increase.

Through investing in this site, there was also an opportunity for ELHNT to forge close partnerships with local start-up firms and public sector partners. The improvement of the education offer, coupled with the attractive lettable facilities and proximity to medical professionals, brings a wealth of opportunities for collaboration.

Co-locating within a mini science park will enable businesses to access core areas and a variety of workspaces, offering direct and ongoing connections to medical experts, which will feed into the development of new businesses and technologies.

interior design

Calming interiors supporting health, wellbeing, learning and working

Our interior design team have prioritised natural light throughout, creating a bright, comfortable and welcoming space. The vibrant public areas on the ground floor, the triple height atrium and cafe, set the scene for a building which values its staff, students and visitors.

We have used natural materials throughout, with warm metallic “bronze” balustrades, brickwork and timber floors, so that users always have a connection to nature. These connections have been proven to benefit to health and wellbeing by reducing stress, increasing cognitive performance, enhancing creativity and improving overall mood.

Workspaces are simple, without distractions and by including a rich mix of open, semi-enclosed and enclosed spaces, there are options to suit everyone’s working habits. A limited colour palette creates a calm environment and sound-absorbing furniture optimises the acoustics for a pleasant working space.

stakeholder engagement

Working together to deliver a versatile, multifaceted, bespoke hub

This project involved many key stakeholders including ELHNT, Blackburn with Darwen Council and UCLan. With the variety of groups invested in this project, there was a large number of specialised requirements. A key feature of the project was the innovative funding arrangements which were designed to give the Trust the ability to develop the project with limited initial capital investment, and then fund the project over a 25 year concession period.

We hosted many online workshops, engaging with over 100 medical professionals and exported the BIM model into a QR code, allowing users to view and manipulate the project on mobile phones. Through this collaboration and detailed analysis of working patterns, we developed a bespoke solution which includes a hybrid of workplace settings and we were able to remove 3,000 m²of requested provision from the original brief, without impacting or compromising service delivery, to keep the project within the tight budget requirements of the unique funding arrangements.

building form

Creating a cohesive and accessible hub for all

The building is split into thee blocks; the ELHT administrative block, which faces the hospital site; the louvered UCLA administrative block, whose curve follows the contours of the topography; and the metal clad, lettable research block. The site is linked back to the Royal Blackburn Hospital site by a pedestrian bridge.

The three blocks house publicly accessible spaces at ground floor, such as large lecture theatre, gym and seminar rooms. A triple height central green corridor, links the three blocks, creating a common meeting area to exchange knowledge and expertise.

At the access road level, curved Block 2 follows the edge of the access road and is immediately accessible, creating a bustling hive of learning. A third block is set slightly back and independent of learning Block 3, creating its own identity through its distinct volumetric form and materials.

The site topography has a challenging, significant slope of over 2 m. To mitigate this, we created two parallel blocks running north south across the site. At the lowest level, western Block 3 is set 1.5m below the access road, creating a place of quiet, ideal for concentration and intensive work.

landscape design

Enhancing the wild, natural beauty of the surroundings

By integrating lighting and accessible architectural elements around the building’s frontage, together our landscape design team and architects have created a dynamic arrival experience.

A multitude of level changes throughout the site presented some challenges to accessibility. To aid movement throughout the building, we have incorporated platforms which have now become a series of different social spaces, sitting along a central green corridor.

With a rich and varied landscape, we have taken care to enhance the existing ecology around the site. We have strengthened existing SuDs (Sustainable Drainage Systems) on the site to mitigate the effects of seasonal flooding in areas of wetland. We have also incorporated a wildflower water meadow which is another sustainable way of managing surface water, increases biodiversity and can be a resource for environmental education.