Sustainable new hospitals

Building a sustainable and inclusive future

Our exciting plans for two new hospitals in Leeds has made real progress in 2021 with the site at Leeds General Infirmary now cleared of old vacant buildings ready for the next stage of the development.

Throughout this coming year we will see the Trust reaching out with important engagement between its architects and patients, service users and staff so that the best hospitals can be developed to meet the needs of those who use them and work there.

Engaging with these groups on the new designs is a fantastic opportunity for them to have their input and help shape the way the new hospitals will eventually look and feel. Appointed architects, the Perkins&Will team, are responding to the Trust’s brief to create hospitals designed around the needs of patients and staff, making sure they enhance the experience for everyone using the new facilities.

As iconic buildings in the centre of Leeds the new hospitals’ relationship with the community goes beyond the site boundary, ensuring the project plays a positive role in the community long after the buildings are completed. One example of the extensive community engagement planned for 2022 will involve the Trust reaching out to areas around its new hospital development site to promote training and job opportunities. It will mean working closely with its design and construction partners to support social value initiatives in Leeds for those with the greatest barriers to training, skills and employment opportunities. The city of Leeds experiences the third highest level of inequality in the UK, with 24% of its population being in the 10% most deprived areas nationally. There is a strong link between social inequalities and disparities in health outcomes, with Covid-19 exacerbating this because of its disproportionate impact on those who already face disadvantage and discrimination. The Trust’s initiative, with support from its partners, includes apprenticeship programmes, school engagement events, and work experience opportunities - targeted at areas surrounding the new hospitals’ development as well as some of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods. James Goodyear, LTHT’s Director of Strategy, explained: “Due to its size and scale our new hospitals programme is not only a long-term vision for patients and staff but also for local communities.

“As a member of the Leeds Anchors Network, it provides a major opportunity to work collaboratively with our suppliers and city-wide partners to deliver a place-based programme of inclusive growth to help improve health outcomes for its residents and patients.” Among the design and construction partners who will be involved in the initiative are contractors WSP, Arcadis, Arup, MJ Medical, and the Trust’s appointed architects the Perkins&Will team.

Sustainability is also at the heart of the new hospitals’ designs with the new hospitals being an opportunity to develop sustainable, long-life buildings that will be fully adaptable to the changing nature of healthcare.

Some of the sustainability measures that are being considered as part of the design proposals for the two new hospitals for Leeds include: • Rainwater collection and bio-filtration

• Grey water reuse • Onsite solar energy harvesting • Passive design & energy re-capture (the capture and reuse of waste heat) • Maximising the capture and use of natural light • Natural ventilation

• Proposed provision for bird, bat and bee hotels

• Outdoor gardens and terraces • Sophisticated energy management systems that maximise energy efficiency and minimise waste Also, as part of the demolition, the Trust has been aiming to recycle between 95% to 99% of materials from the old buildings and the rates are currently running at 97%. Crushed material is being moved from site and an agreed stockpile quantity retained for use for the future hospital build project. The new facilities are planned to be operational by 2027.