7 February 2007

New building to help combat MRSA

An architectural exhibition opening in Edinburgh is set to showcase designs from healthcare to housing, which are the result of collaboration between Dundee University School of Architecture and local practice LJR+H Architects.

Models and drawings of a new building which will help combat MRSA are being exhibited at The Royal Incorporation of Architects Headquarters. A new healthcare centre at Perth Royal Infirmary will have separate doors and corridors for patients and doctors to avoid crossover of infections, including the deadly MRSA. It also has individual climate control and flexible room dividers so patients can control their body temperature and spend time alone or with other patients, depending on their mood.

Graeme Hutton, Dean of the School of Architecture, says, "Renal patients often have to spend four hours lying down at a time, so it is important that we make it as comfortable for them as possible. If patients are hot, then we want people to be able to cool down, if they want company then we want patients to be able to pull a screen back and chat to other people in the ward. There is also special lighting, communal space and entertainment. We’ve done a lot of research into the needs of patients and we’ve tried to make sure that the building will make life a little easier for patients."

Work on the building, part of Perth Royal Infirmary for Renal patients, will start this month.

Graeme says, "Health care is an area where the School of Architecture is planning to do lots of research, but we need LJR+H ’s professional expertise and infrastructure to work with or the buildings will not become a reality. By teaming up with industry, we can follow the whole process from drawings to the actual completion of a building, something that is a huge benefit for the students."

Another display at the exhibition is a house in Meigle, Perthshire. The house is part of a larger project to look at houses in rural settings.

Graeme says, "We look at barns in the countryside and see them as part of the rural setting, not an eyesore on the landscape. We want to look at how modern Scottish housing might be designed to fit into this perception, rather than building more speculative homes that have no discernible connection to Scottish landscapes or culture."

David Jameson, partner at LJR+H, says "This Exhibition marks an important milestone in the collaboration between Dundee School of Architecture and LJR+H and shows how in the case of the medical projects and housing, a real difference can be made."

The exhibition runs from the 8th February to the 8th March. Entry is free.

‘Place, Programme and Presence’
RIAS architecture gallery
15 Rutland Square
Edinburgh
Tel 0131 229 7545

For media enquiries contact:

Anna Day
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk