Basildon Hospital – Essex

Bowman Riley designed a new two-storey modular building at the front of Basildon Hospital for Noviniti. This building offers significantly improved entrance and welcome facilities for patients, staff, and visitors.

Noviniti partnered with Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to fund and develop the new main entrance, which was funded using the income generated from the latest retail facilities.

The major project overhauls the existing entrance, which had not been changed since the hospital opened in 1972, offering more facilities and a brighter welcome. The new building features a new restaurant, a dedicated seating area, a new bereavement and PALS suite, a refurbished multi-faith room, an expanded administration space, and shops.

Our design uses bronze cladding at the front as a standout feature to highlight the hospital’s entrance. The remainder of the building has buff-coloured cladding, creating a soft aesthetic that blends in with the surrounding building façades.

A particular challenge was the proximity to the existing hospital building. In liaison with the structural engineers, we designed a section of the proposed development to be cantilevered at ground level over the existing building’s basement.

From the outset, the building was designed to be modular, enabling it to be constructed off-site. This method reduced the time and impact of the construction work on the hospital’s operations.