Lewis & Hickey Edinburgh have been appointed by Turner Townsend to act as consultant Architects in a turnkey development to refurbish the Randolph Wemyss Memorial Hospital in Buckhaven. The procurement will see a reconfiguration of the internal spaces and improvements to the building exterior.

The works are being carried out in 7 phases and consist of the re-configuration of wards to include single and multiple occupancy rooms with en-suite facilities, plus an upgrade of the external fabric, heating and ventilation systems. The proposed works to the main hospital include the re-opening of the original main entrance with reception and improved disabled access to comply with DDA requirements. The first phase of the works commenced on site at the end of September 2006, with completion expected in late 2007.

The short timescale of the project and the need to maintain operation of the hospital during construction are creating a series of exciting challenges for the design team. The existing building fabric imposes both spatial constraints and Listed Building status restrictions on the new interior. NHS end-user requirements are under constant development, which means all parties involved in the procurement are on a continuous learning curve.

The interiors in the new Ward Block are required to be both appropriate to the care of elderly patients and to meet rigorous NHS specifications. The end users of this part of the scheme have requested that a domestic ambience be created within the public scale envelope of the complex, resulting in a very intriguing design brief.

Launch Case Study for Randolph Wemyss MH (PDF)