New University Hospital Monklands

Client: NHS Lanarkshire

The New University Hospital Monklands (UHM) is NHS Lanarkshire’s exciting vision for the New University Hospital Monklands and the community it serves, proposing a major investment in Lanarkshire’s hospital estate by rebuilding the hospital on a new site at Wester Moffat, near Airdrie. A new, state-of-the-art, Net Zero Carbon UHM will support the required clinical model to meet objectives framed by NHS Lanarkshire’s healthcare strategy, Our Health Together. As a cornerstone of community well-being, the new hospital will serve as both a symbol and a driver of progress, offering long-lasting benefits that extend well beyond its walls. The new Monklands hospital has the potential to become the foundation for a longer-term vision for healthcare delivery in Scotland.

The campus planning of the New University Hospital Monklands takes its concept from a village metaphor and is predicated on two significant factors: maintaining the agreed clinical model (the matrix of clinical adjacencies and relationships); and a zonal campus environment that allows daylight and the natural landscape character of the site to be drawn into the heart of a fully connected, human scaled, people focused facility. The concept was based on a series of regular green spaces linked by the main pedestrian street. The street is the spine of the building, and it plays a vital part in understanding the public and clinical relationships of the other districts. The success of the development will be directly related to the quality of public space provision and the integrated design of the landscape. The proposals include a range of public space types; from active community squares to pocket courtyards, all interlinked and connected for staff and public enjoyment. A controlled palette of contemporary and traditional materials balanced with access to natural daylight promotes a sense of calm. Patient, visitor and staff privacy and dignity have been widely considered and prioritised through extensive analysis of the separation of flows and day-in-the-life testing with the stakeholders. The New University Hospital Monklands is targeting a Net Zero Carbon ambition as embedded in its design, delivery, and operational brief. By investing in such infrastructure, the hospital will be a public sector exemplar in reducing its carbon footprint, conserving resources, and serving as a pathfinder project for other local and national developments. Ecology and biodiversity are integral components of the project plans. The project seeks to make the most of the natural environment in which the hospital will be located, including the connection to and enhancement of the North Calder Heritage Trail. Emphasis is being placed on connecting patients, staff, and the public with the outdoors, providing spaces that promote both active enjoyment and peaceful reflection for enhanced well-being. The people focused place-making principles driving the design concept support the aspiration of NHS Scotland to promote the design and operate an estate that is considerate to and prioritises the wellbeing of users through the creation of comfortable, inclusive and healthy internal and external places establishing a recognised Place standard that’s unique but rooted in the community’s history and culture.