I had the privilege of working on this project with Morgan Sindall Construction and LSI Architects to design and build outstanding medical, office and training facilities for the trust on a new site, near the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. The project had a few primary considerations that were stressed by the trust. Compliance with HTM 08-01 was key to partner with the NHS but the design of the facilities were always care focussed, so compliance was just a first step. Important factors were:
Ambient noise levels - Inside and out. These facilities had to be calming and welcoming and the outside areas were a key component of this, with carefully design gardens and exercise areas. I undertook a survey at the site to measure noise levels, which were primarily from the nearby A47. This information informed both the design of plant, to limit external noise levels and the building envelope.
Finishes and Reverberation - The finishes are important to providing a welcoming and homely feel to the building. Whilst my job is to keep the reverberation and echoes to suitable levels, I find it is also important to be facilitating to the design and to work closely with the architects to ensure the acoustic specific finishes do not counter their design intentions. In this case, brick and wood finishes were used to good effect.
Sound insulation - The building was formed of two different types of construction, using both traditional masonry with cold roof and pantiles and a more modern steel frame. Detailing was therefore important to ensure flanking sound paths did not negatively affect the sound insulation performance of separating walls, maintaining privacy and reducing disturbance.
