Rockingham Wing Extension - The Extension Proposal

We have developed our plans for the extension with the involvement of our Doctors, Midwives and Nurses so that each new area provides the facilities and co-locations of rooms that support the delivery of excellent patient care.

We have also been very aware of the need to minimise the impact of the new building on our neighbours. The design ensures that those rooms closest to adjacent properties do not overlook them, and any bedrooms facing south will have windows with view obscuring film.

To minimise the height of the new building we have sunk it into the ground and incorporated a basement level plant room so that only air handling mechanical plant will be located on the roof.

• Two storey building plus limited roof plant
• Concealed basement plant room
• Building sunk into site to minimise height.

The new extension to the Rockingham wing has been designed to house services for new born babies who have had a difficult start to life, as well as their mothers and in some cases more extended family. The ground floor features an Intensive Care unit for newborns as well as three parent overnight stay rooms, these areas are complimented by supporting offices and clinical spaces to allow the unit to function as efficiently as possible. Located at ground
floor to the Western end of the new proposal, there is also a suite for bereaved parents with private gardens and recuperation space.

The first floor of the building includes a 32 bed ward for both pre and post natal patients, these areas are split into 4 bed bays with a compliment of single
person bedrooms. Any bedroom with a south facing aspect is to be equipped with view obscuring film and louvres/brise soleil to prevent overlooking of
neighbouring gardens, whilst still allowing in an abundance of natural daylight for patients to enjoy. The proposal has also been developed so that at the
two closest points to the site boundary, windows have been designed out altogether to avoid any overlooking issues.

The upper roof of the building has been packaged to keep mechanical equipment as far from the site boundary as possible. Limited low noise air handling
machinery will be located on the upper roof screened by acoustic louvred fencing. This plant is minimised by the inclusion of a basement level concealed
adjacent to the existing site substation. The basement will accommodate the bulk of the buildings services to prevent any noise/sound impact on the
surrounding site and neighbourhood. Due to the requirement for high ceilings and an abundance of medical technology, the new buildings silhouette
could have looked tall in comparison to the neighbouring residences, to prevent this overbearing/overlooking the decision was made to push the new unit
down into the ground. This decision results in the roof height of the extension being only circa 2m above the height of the ridge line of the two storey
properties on Windermere Road.