A ‘state-of-the-art’ independent private hospital specialising in cosmetic and plastic surgery has been completed at Granton on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The Waterfront Hospital, owned and managed by consultant plastic surgeons, Awf and Omar Quaba, has been designed by award-winning NVDC Architects, which says it has ‘a wealth of design experience’ across the health, surgical and dental sectors.
Following an initial search, NVDC founder, Farahbod Nakhaei, viewed several shortlisted properties in Edinburgh suitable for redevelopment, helping to appraise each for suitability, as well as potential limitations. The chosen building had originally been part of a Morrisons supermarket development, but had remained empty and unutilised for over 14 years.
Harnessing its previous experience in delivering private surgical facilities, the team at NVDC, led by Farahbod Nakhaei and Project architect, Anna Dach, produced the successful design as part of a competitive pitch process. A key component of the brief, in addition to being fully SHTM-compliant, was to include one fully SHTM-compliant general anaesthesia operating suite, a second theatre for local anaesthesia, treatment rooms, and other ancillary spaces, and a generous waiting area, also useable for educational purposes.
Incorporating several complex design elements, including a bespoke staircase connecting the two main floors and following the curve of the external facade, the new private hospital opened on 4 October. The Waterfront Hospital features ‘a cutting-edge’ building management system (BMS) to control and monitor the entire building environment to maintain the highest clinical standards. As well as controlling air changes and required pressures, it also controls all mechanical and electrical services, such as access, ventilation, heating, lighting, medical gases. and power. NVDC researched and specified the hospital’s access control system to ensure that the chosen system had the required functionality while being in keeping with the overall design.
The NVDC team worked extensively with M&E consultants, Charles Scott & Partners, contractor, Souness and Boyne, the access control manufacturer, and the client’s IT team, to ensure that the system could ‘provide the complex array of requirements’ for managing the different levels of access to various parts of the building. The access control system and BMS can each be controlled via a mobile phone app.
The entire roof space has also been adapted to house necessary plant. As part of its design, NVDC included a prefabricated modular rooftop plant room. NVDC was also instrumental in the design of an energy-efficient lighting system operated by movement-controlled PIR sensors, working closely with lighting engineers to develop a lighting design which promotes ease of flow throughout the building.
Farahbod Nakhaei said: “Working with Awf and Omar was fantastic, since from the very beginning we shared values and a common goal. From the outset we were given a clear brief with aspirations and objectives. In turn, the client trusted our expertise, and together we were able to create a fantastic building which will offer expert care. We are passionate about growing our healthcare portfolio, and showcasing our strengths and expertise in this sector.” Most recently NVDC oversaw the completion of the Glasgow Day Surgery Centre, a registered HIS hospital. To date it has delivered over 100 design projects across the health, surgical, and dental sectors.
