Low energy--bridging the Great Divide

Professor Mathew Bacon, MD of The Conclude Consultancy, argues that with healthcare facilities required to play a considerable part in helping the UK meet tough carbon reduction targets, a new approach to designing large acute hospitals is required that takes significantly greater account of such facilities' 'In-use' energy consumption. Equally, he believes, designing hospitals that meet lower carbon consumption goals requires greater dialogue between clinicians and engineers so that the resulting clearer perspective on clinical processes can be leveraged to inform the engineering design, and achieve 'a close coupling' between the engineering design strategy and the working practice needs of users.