Architect-led design team appointed for west Herts hospital redevelopment

An award-winning company has won the contract to redevelop the three hospitals managed by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT).

The plans include up to 90% of new buildings at the Watford General Hospital site and also for some new buildings and facilities at the hospitals in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans.

BDP is an architect-led design team which will draw on a wide range of in-house experts to provide specialist help and support on:

- Delivering the outline business case (OBC) and design concepts for all three site

- Providing expertise in designing innovative buildings that are sustainable.

BDP has been involved in numerous healthcare projects including the recent NHS Nightingale projects.

Duane Passman, the trust’s acute redevelopment programme director, said: "Not only have BDP created hospital buildings that look stunning, their focus on getting the design right for patients – down to the tiniest detail – impressed us.

"We are also assured by their experience of developing new hospital buildings on existing sites and we are confident that they understand the importance of minimising disruption, keeping sites safe and making sure that services can continue to run as normal.

"Delivering a project of this scale and complexity is very much a partnership between the trust and BDP and requires working with various partners from construction firms to local authorities to create buildings which will support the sustainable delivery of healthcare."

Paul Johnson, BDP project director, said: "On behalf of BDP, my colleague Neil Cadenhead and myself are delighted to have been selected to design this redevelopment project for WHHT supported by our multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, landscape designers and town planners.

"We look forward to a successful and creative partnership with the many WHHT colleagues who will be involved in the project. We are absolutely confident that the resulting estate will be something that we, the trust and the people of Hertfordshire will be justifiably proud of."