There is a need for buildings to transition towards a zero-carbon environment. Hospital buildings and operating theatres use a relatively large amount of energy and produce large quantities of waste. Hospitals produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year.
There is a need for buildings to transition towards a zero-carbon environment. Hospital buildings and operating theatres use a relatively large amount of energy and produce large quantities of waste. Hospitals produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year. The operating theatre environment contributes ~20-30% of a hospital’s carbon footprint. Good environmental conditions for medical staff and patients are also important, and must consider issues including comfort, cleanliness and cross infection.
A project to design and build a sustainable, future theatre is not only pioneering in terms of its intent, but further addresses the real need to move towards a healthier and sustainable Wales.
Accelerate's involvement:
Accelerate is supporting the delivery of this project which brings together collaborators with a wide range of expertise from theatre practitioners, to designers and sustainability build experts.
The initial phase has been to establish the scope and project delivery plan. Moving into the next phase has shifted the focus to the designing and construction of the theatre. The design will be focused around the specific needs of a general operating theatre, but incorporate a low energy design, efficient mechanical services for heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting, and building integrated renewable energy generation and energy storage.
It will also consider waste handling and minimising waste production, including those of anaesthetic gases. This has been facilitated by bringing theatre staff together to focus on architectural construction, design features and ergonomics, and, anaesthetics and waste. The subsequent design, construction and evaluation will be overseen by a dedicated project officer, who will facilitate the delivery of tangible outcomes.
This project is part of the Accelerate programme which is part-funded by the European Regional Development fund, through Welsh Government.
