Coquetdale Community Hospital, Rothbury
How do you replace a much loved Cottage Hospital, part of the life of everyone in the community and in constant use for over 100 years, with a modern, purpose built unit for the 21st century, and this within the constraints of steep valley sides with the centre liable to flood?
Rumours of closure of Coquetdale Cottage Hospital in Rothbury first circulated in 1994 and the inevitable body arose to fight for the retention of its services: ‘ACHeS’ (Action for Coquetdale Health Services) was born. Protest meetings were held and letters sent to the Press. On learning that the first new community hospital in Northumberland for decades was really to be built, attention turned to finding a possible site. The chosen site and hospital design were greeted with scepticism and dismay: it was outside the village enclave as well as an intrusion on the south side of the valley. At the official opening in June 2007, parallels were drawn with the reaction of Guy de Maupassant to the building of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - he ate there every day to enjoy the view from it and so that he wouldn’t have to look at it! The Eiffel Tower became a symbol of Paris and the hope was expressed that so too would the new Community Hospital be for Coquetdale. Two years on and everyone sees the virtues of this wonderful facility, site and services.
Neil Barker, of McKellar Architecture Limited, a Society member, takes up the tale:
A replacement for Rothbury Cottage Hospital, which no longer satisfied current NHS spatial requirements and regulations, had been a priority to serve this local community for many years, but
an appropriate site was difficult to obtain. The village centre is predominantly built in stone with welsh slate roofing with burghage plots backing towards the river meadow playing areas.
Having exhausted a search for locations within the village settlement, during which a number of sites were examined in detail, a site south west of the river bridge was identified. Although this is relatively isolated, it offered an opportunity to group a cluster of related facilities including a primary care centre, elderly residential care facilities and the new hospital with rehabilitation and cottage hospital functions.
Studies of the site were conducted to identify access, parking and servicing requirements and to formulate an overall plan for the disposition of functions and uses, including an adjacent golf club house. This identified an optimum location for the hospital functions, and highlighted the opportunity to use the site characteristics in establishing access and floor levels.
This new hospital would provide 12 inpatient en suite rooms and various outpatient facilities, mainly rehabilitation, and integrated the two storey hospital with community services under one roof.
The building could not pretend to replicate traditional architecture and the forms would not be functionally appropriate. The key to the design and massing was to keep a low profile with straight roof lines to reduce the impacts on the landscape and skyline.
It was intended that the design extended the building traditions of Rothbury and provided a sustainable state of the art building. Naturalism and technology are combined as the way forward for this community hospital.
Reception Area
The character and the overall aspect of the new building is dedicated to less mobile patients and the brief extends to cover all the assistance required by the patients’ guests, community groups and staff themselves, giving a compact, user-friendly building with distinctive but interacting forms and elements. This has been developed by giving form to the independent s p e c i a l i s e d zones. A glazed link provides the users on both levels with a clear view through the entire building, whilst acting as the waiting area downstairs and a common area upstairs. Inpatients can walk through this space towards the day activity area, which floods the two blocks with light and allows extensive external views of the surrounding landscape which can be enjoyed at all times while waiting for consultation or treatment. Users and patients can orientate themselves and locate the various services easily. This also provides efficiency for specialised permanent and visiting staff.
Exterior and interior spaces achieve a balance between contained and open zones to ensure a psychological choice between privacy and public exposure with progressive transition from public to private spaces. The building enables patients, visitors and staff to manage both privacy and interaction with other groups.
View from the Physio Department
The main materials used are stone, timber, glass & render. The first is linked to traditional materials in Rothbury and provides the building with a contemporary aspect. Wood is used internally and externally to create a ‘warm’ environment, whilst being honest and functional for the mainly linear elevations and has the benefit of being sustainable. From most of the internal spaces, especially bedrooms, the green landscape of the surrounding countryside is framed and can be enjoyed by all users. The integration of art with a glass artist is an excellent opportunity to draw Rothbury’s beautiful landscape into the building even further. The vision is the juxtaposition of nature with glass with the notion of capturing natural elements such as tree bark and leaf forms to create sensual and therapeutic colours and shadows. Extensive glazing is used to create spaces flooded with light and achieves a characterful light airiness, promoting a positive patient experience. The elevations of the bedrooms in the first floor are marked by a secure rhythm. The other constituents of the building form are fragmented to prevent a large mass dominating the site. One of the larger spaces in the building is the cantilevered gym, which is the only space within the building requiring a higher ceiling height. This is the centre of rehabilitation and projects out toward the village and its community avoiding a sense of exclusion. The other larger space is the group room near the entrance and community garden providing interaction with all user groups and encouraging progressive treatment.
The steep drop in levels on the north side provided the opportunity to create a balcony area for all users, particularly for patients’ rehabilitation.
It was appreciated that a traditional pitched slate roof would have a significantly increased the visual impact of the building, breaching the skyline, but this was possible and succesfully incorporated in the nearby golf clubhouse.
It was appreciated that a traditional pitched slate roof would have a significantly increased the visual impact of the building, breaching the skyline, but this was possible and succesfully incorporated in the nearby golf clubhouse. The hospital is now beginning to be visually integrated within the community.
City and County
May 2009
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