Renal Dialysis Unit

The staff base is also located on the first floor, at the heart of the treatment areas, with a clerestory rooflight – vertical windows in a vaulted ceiling space – drawing daylight into the interior. 

Ancillary areas including changing rooms and plant areas are located on the lower level.

Extensive service offering

The new-build unit forms part of the Western General Hospital Programme of Works, an ongoing series of projects for which we have provided a wide range of services.

Acting as lead advisor, project manager, quantity surveyor, contract administrator, NEC supervisor and principal designer for the whole programme has required us to consider both the full site-wide picture and each individual project on its own terms.

Incorporating feedback from stakeholders

In the early stages, we complemented our experience of previous renal unit projects with visits to units at other hospitals to obtain a sound understanding of the clinical flow and patient experience. We then fed this back into the design and value engineering process.

We also worked closely with clinicians, medical physicists and patient representatives to ensure the plant and equipment design and installation were suitably coordinated. Workshops with these groups informed decision-making around the dialysis bays and patient areas with a view to enhancing patient experience.

Project management on a ‘live’ hospital construction site

One immediate challenge on this busy site was to maintain access to the existing renal unit, the neighbouring Ward 1 department and the Scottish Health Service Centre building during the construction works. 

And with the renal unit located on the hospital’s main entrance road, access to the whole site had to be considered, as well as disruption to neighbouring residential properties.

We successfully managed the situation through careful planning, coordination and regular communication with all stakeholders and road users, agreeing out-of-hours shutdowns and scheduling deliveries accordingly. 

We also coordinated regular stakeholder site visits during the construction stage.