Great Western Hospital
Client:
Swindon-Malborough NHS
Year of Completion:
2005
Architect/Designer: BDP PArtnership Main Contractor/Customer: Carillion Plc
Architect/Designer: BDP PArtnership Main Contractor/Customer: Carillion Plc
In 2002, construction giants Carillion set about designing and building a brand new hospital for Swindon, which would replace the Princess Margaret Hospital which has stood in the Old Town Swindon for years.
Three years after the opening of the Great Western Hospital, Carillion and the hospital trust were putting the finishing touches to the space and commissioned Architen Landrell to design and install some feature canopies in the reception of a new wing.
The hypar canopies, seven in total, hang to form a lower false ceiling and are inwardly lit by a lamp positioned on each corner of the sail.
While providing a brilliant effect, the lighting proved a difficulty to install. The excessive number of transformers (concealed in boxes on the ceiling) and cables meant that there was a lot of clutter fixed and hanging from the ceiling which worked against the light, floating feel which the hypars aim to create. The boxes were painted to blend in with the ceiling, and the wires hidden behind the hypars themselves to clean up the overall look.
The architectural slant to an otherwise practical and uninteresting space has not gone unnoticed. Both staff and patients can now enjoy working and recovering in a bright and airy space.
