We have adopted a ‘holistic’ approach to this challenge and the problems it presents. 

We plan to build a pioneering, sustainable NICU that will create a low carbon building, optimising space and bringing about a highly beneficial healing and supportive environment for its babies and their families, fit for 21st century care.

Holistic Approach
This holistic model of care, creating a unique NICU environment in the UK, is aimed at producing the best outcome for every premature and sick baby.

Welcoming, spacious and easy to maintain, our NICU design will radically improve the ability to manage the Unit efficiently and reduce the risk of infection.  The clinical area will more than double in size and be designed to accommodate the busiest of work flows whilst retaining a calm and tranquil environment, so crucial to the care of premature babies.

The concept designs encapsulate the essence of sustainability from the sourcing of materials to avoiding waste, utilising natural light as much as possible, conserving energy, using heat recovery systems, developing water conservation strategies and ensuring that all materials have the minimum toxicity to protect babies from risk.

Most of all it will have a beneficial effect on the treatment of premature and sick babies.  It will provide space to accommodate life saving equipment, greater flexibility to deal with emergency situations, and privacy for private consultations.  It will reduce noise levels and promote sleep – so crucial in the neurodevelopment of infants.  It will enable mothers to breast feed in privacy and give them the opportunity to develop skin to skin techniques – so valuable in the nurturing of tiny babies.  Parent accommodation will double in size and capacity – giving greater flexibility for families. This in turn will lead to improved development for babies and ultimately shorten their length of stay.

The first of a new generation of therapeutic healthcare buildings, our NICU project is involving practitioners, parents and world renowned sustainability architects in designing the best possible structure.  As a beacon of sustainability, the results will be disseminated to health professionals, educationalists, researchers and public in the UK and internationally.