Schueco Awards 2018 Health Building Award: Omagh Hospital & Primary Care Complex, Northern Ireland, by TODD Architects

Buildings.

Architect: TODD Architects

Main contractor: McLaughlin & Harvey

Specialist contractor: Frameworks

Client: The Western Health & Social Care Trust

Schueco systems/products: Window systems: AWS 120 CC.SI, AWS 70.HI, AWS 90 BR; door systems: ADS 65 HD & ADS 70.HI, ASS 70.HI sliding door system; curtain walling: FW 50+, FW 60+, FW 50+ SG and FW 60+ SG, Schueco Jansen steel system VISS 50 TVS

Photos: Chris Hill

Unique to Northern Ireland and new for the UK and Ireland in how all services are delivered in one place, the Omagh Hospital & Primary Care Complex is a model of healthcare provision. The scheme, designed by TODD Architects, provides a range of secondary and tertiary hospital facilities and community healthcare services. Architecturally, the scheme has been conceived with vernacular influences, particularly in the approach to the overall scale and mass where the various key components are grouped into legible elements, with light glazed enclosed links, a connecting ‘street’ and a main atrium/foyer.

The building required the glazing and curtain-walling systems to meet the demands of a healthcare environment’s design and technical requirements. These included large openings to maximise views and enhance light as part of the therapeutic design, potential for integrated shading and privacy, thermal performance to assist the scheme in achieving a BREEAM rating, security considerations in certain areas, from discrete venting to ballistic-rated glass, and infection control in some clinical areas, employing systems such as integral powered blinds. Collaboration between TODD Architects and fabricator Frameworks led to bespoke solutions, incorporating an extensive range of systems and components. All the systems were detailed with complementary systems and components chosen to integrate with the external cladding colour palette.