12 healthcaredm.co.uk PROJECT The Midland Metropolitan On October 6, the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital opened its doors, setting a benchmark for clinical healthcare design. We take a look at the £750m facility and speak to some of the architects involved The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) – a collaborative effort by HKS Architects as architectural project lead, Cagni Williams Associates as architectural design lead and Sonnemann Toon as architectural clinical lead – has officially opened its doors, offering a state-of-the-art acute care facility for the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. This landmark project marks a decade of close cooperation with clients and coconsultants, evolving from conception to completion within the New Hospital Programme. With a capacity to serve as a community regeneration catalyst in an area facing high deprivation levels, MMUH sets a new benchmark for clinical healthcare design and is one of the most advanced hospitals in Europe. It consolidates acute and emergency services from two separate hospitals into one central hub, enhancing operational efficiency and fostering technological innovation, while improving patient and staff experiences. THE BUILDING DESIGN Spanning 84,000 square meters over 11 stories, MMUH boasts a purpose-built emergency department – including a dedicated children’s unit – and features 13 operating theatres. Additional facilities include a midwife-led birthing unit and delivery suite, two maternity wards and antenatal services, and a neonatal unit, as well as same day emergency care for adults, and a regional sickle cell and thalassaemia centre. The hospital’s spatial layout centres around the ‘hot block’ clinical facilities arranged around six internal courtyards, along with three ward ‘fingers’ above it, culminating in the 4,000m² Winter Garden. In addition, there’s 50,000sqm of covered car-parking that sits below the building, which has kept the site as compact as possible. Jane Ho, regional director, Health, at HKS Architects and Designers explains: ‘The concept was to create a building that accommodates all varying needs as closely as possible. Operational flows were a significant driving factor in the design, ensuring departments are strategically placed for optimal functionality.’ Logistics, wayfinding and patient flow are pivotal to the hospital design. The interior has a clear design language, centred around easy to navigate orange cores, University Hospital All photographs by Paul Raftery
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