Project
Public authorities are required by the Climate Change Act to assess and address their particular needs for adaptation to climate change. In light of recorded heat waves in recent years, the NHS have to ensure a stable temperature control for the patients, staff, visitors and equipments in all its buildings. Approximately 2000 excess deaths were recorded in the UK in late June-July 2006 highlighting the importance of heat wave planning. The challenge involved in adapting its buildings to a changing climate is compounded by the drive to reduce energy consumption by 26% below 1990 levels within the next decade.
Current versions of Heatwave plan recommend reducing internal temperatures by turning off lights and electric equipment at night. It is acknowledge that meeting the emission targets requires adoption of innovative low energy design strategies and techniques both for new builds and, more importantly, for existing buildings stock. One of the main barriers to the implementation of such innovative intervention is the poor understanding of the perceived risk to patient safety and well being.
Re-design decisions involve multiple stakeholders and affect different systems: patient care, visitor traffic flows, medical personal flows, equipment proximity, and many interlocking system critical to effective healthcare provision. Refurbishment projects need to consider a range of objectives such as heat mitigation through out the re-design decision making process. Studies have shown that if stakeholders lack overview about the consequences of proposed decisions. The ramifications of seemingly innocuous re-design proposals can get out of hand and affect other systems that are intended to be left untouched leading to significant increase in costs.
As part of this project, tools used to asses the knock-on effects of change in industrial sector will be used to gain an overview of the effects of change. These techniques will be translated to the domain of building construction grounded in the understanding of hospital building, systems and environments.