The new Sheppard Robson designed landmark Birmingham Treatment Centre, which was officially opened at the end of 2005, incorporates a new approach to hospital design and assists in the regeneration and improvement of the surrounding urban environment. The new facility is said to represent a step change in the provision of treatment centres.
The quality of environment includes the provision of a more sympathetic waiting area for both the public and patients. Maximising the use of glass in the atria, the centre is zoned to safeguard patient privacy, and clear wayfinding provides legibility in functionality not previously seen in a centre such as this. The children's outpatients' facility on the ground floor provides an internet facility and library with open plan computer posts and a quiet resource study area for patients and visitors. The aim is to provide a positive and calm environment for all.
"Research has proven that patient recovery is improved in an environment where each individual has a positive view and position," said Fraser Rae, partner at Sheppard Robson. "To help achieve this we have designed a space where each patient benefits from a window looking out onto landscaped gardens."
