Re  the  Gilbert and Bain  Site Lerwick            Eco raincoat   renovation v  eventual removal

 

I  think I sent  the accompanying  letter  file    to  shetland nhs  administration  nov 2015  .  With   illustrations  of  what I  consider to be  improvements to the  external  wall  fabric , ie  improved  insulation,  and   appearance,  for the  3  storey main  building  since  when  I  have again been a patient  in ward  1  myself  . The wee annexe   at the  SE  corner ………..which I  believe had originally  been a children's hospital   I was  told  contains offices,  Is   interesting   in the same way  as Courtney hostel,    at the  former  Anderson High school  siite at the knab, ie  they are  mid 2oth C   buildings  which in my opinion  avoided the   functional  ugliness   of  that  era .  

 

The   problem  of   maintenance  and upgrading  the  fabric  of a    a hospital  is   clearly that of noise and   dust  nuisance.  Does that mean  all  such  maintenance and  upgrading of the  fabric   is  not  viable?    Would ear plugs,  muffs, dust  screens   closed windows   work, well  

Or would  some sort of  shuffling  arrangement of  shifting   patients horizontally  through  fire  stop  zones lessening the noise  by some  distance   do the trick maybe for  a morning  shift or a few days.  .  Some  patients  might be   taken on  by  other  hospitals  for a week    Kirkwall   &  Aberdeen    if they had the   space, perhaps  some  temporary  facility  or phase  one of  the projected  future ,    up the  road at the  park          while   drilling  for  building  clamps.  That   could be  done in  a few  days  , the  rest of the  work   not so  intrusive  , IN other  ords a logistic puzzle  for   nhs administration  planners,  planners,  a   clerk of works  

 

Anyway  the   newsy   controversy   for  some years   has been    whether  there  should be  a brand new hospital   in Lerwick  or  rather  when  such  would become   necessary.  When I have been a patient   in   ward one  and   it appeared   to work  quite  efficiently, it is cheerful   it  was not  over  crowded and on one  occasion there was only one other  patient   in ward one for a couple of days. 

 So  the location  of such a new   facility   has been   discussed  publicly   and presumably   the  more suitable locations  would  include  Gilbertson Park  and  Seafield out  beyond tesco ,    Like the redeveloped   school  hostel   site  both of  those are or include sports  pitches  as far as I   understand  and   such   could be  shifted  Big  fixtures  could be  relocated to the   Ting wall   valley ,  on some  reclaimed bog  land. Not that I am  anti sports  personally,   some  GBH  nurses   evidently went to schools  where the girls   had been encouraged to  play  rugby.  Absurd as   that   sounds they are still  in some  sort of league.

SO   if that happened   eventually   a completely new   facility     what would  be the  status of  the main  3 story   GBH   building?   Also     the   SE  corner   annexe   in these  illustrations.  I  think  the  corner  annexe  is   worth  saving as a  type of  late 50s early  60s   functional   aesthetic  with  none of the  croydon   appalling  repetitive   ugliness. It has a modest sculptural  small scale   character   and  typical  continuous    exposed concrete  elements    coloured brick infil   panels under the windows.  

As for  the  main  South facing  framed  building  where the  exterior  fabric  was upgraded  around   2008     check that   on the plaque   commemorating the   re opening    with   a mixed  pebble  dash  finish, double   glazing  , upgraded heating and  ventilation      surely built  originally  nearly  two   decades  later  than the  SE  corner annexe   The    size of the  wards  allows  a  decent  space between  the beds,   some older   ARI   wards have them  crammed some  like the  intensive  care  have   good  wide    spaces .   Looking  closely at the  SE  annex   you can see   minor  cracks  in the  externally  exposed   concrete members  with   some  rust  staining.  That   is  what needs to be addressed  by maintenance   weather proofing   against   the  Shetland  briny  winds ,   better insulation.    

 

The  architectural expression   for theSE   corner annex   could   be  improved   by  selected   render   or  frs   colourcoat   following the  original detailing.  SO  exposed    concrete  would  have  good  thick  waterproof  rendering  , the  brick infill   with   colourised   render perhaps   on  expanded metal    lathe  more extravagantly the bricks  could be replaced by 6 inches of  insulation  with frs   fibre  reinforced cement   colored   panels ,as   illustrated.   Likewise  the original  exposed  concrete   after water  proofing  would also  be  covered   by a laminate  of  insulation and frc    The  original    pattern     should not be  obscured,   they are  part of that  aesthetic  though   obvious  cold  bridges  of  exposed  concrete  in contact  with the  frame and internal   floor, could  be  reduced  .

 

That is    just one  possibility,    dropping the  pr dominant  eco heat  saving   building  regulation  upgrade   would  make the  renovation  easier   two tones of  water  proof  render   applied to exposed   concrete  frame  and  brick infill  more insulation on  inside of  exterior walls

 

###   The  three  storey    wards are  disposed   with   men  at   one end and women   the other   symmetrically    around the  professionals   spaces  ,   from the FR   vertical  stair and     lift    shaft    there is the   mandatory   additional   horizontal  fire   egress   from  the men's   I haven't seen the  equivalent  for the  women's.  Since I couldn't  go  looking around there   in my pyjamas.     The    south facing  windows   have   a problem  with  solar heat  gain   for some   weeks   summer  .also  some lower  angular   after the   maximum  summer  solstice  altitude   being    2 times the  planets tilt   plus 6.5  degrees   53.5 degrees.  That is steep  and  affects the other  two  beds  worst   for a  few weeks   then  deeper  occasionally  after that  from lower angular   paths.      They have   vinyl  blinds  on the  interior, ie after the heat has passed through.  Evidently    direct  sunlight  on the  patients   close to the windows   who cant  do much  about that  except  wear a sun hat,     deeper   reveals can   more or less  obviate that problem   .   The  block  I  was  treated  at ARI   in 2023   has    some  sort of  eggcrate  horizontal and  vertical   surrounds.  

 Another   possibility   would be  to  use   solar  reflecting,    IR   reducing  glass  ,   or 3 M   coloured  film.   Which     I suppose  would increase the annual heat   load   for the  winter   . A third  way  are  a whole  range of   maybe  adjustable  vertical louvres  outside  or lighter  ones   within  ,     the  existing   south  facing  windows .  The   illustration I have made  with sketchup   show   a   complete   eco raincoat   it   would   have to have   deep  reveals   at the  window  surrounds  and  perhaps   over the   windows,   which  I have  shown as pressed metal  heavily galvanised and    cased in  coloured   upvc.    . 

An alternative  if  only   a minor increase    of insulation   over the  last upgrade   would  bring it in line with   SBS   Scottish  building   standards    then  the   possibility of   giving the place    a facelift   as I   illustrated  in 2015  but  re  tinted   as if    by décor   just this  week.  

 

Then   again   should     auditers, analysts   nhs  board of   advisory  ,   planners  whatever  they call themselves   want a brand new building  like  Kirkwalls  attractive   curved  hospital   or ARI   new   and also  curved  ’family hospital’   Will   Lerwick   require   a curved  aesthetic?     Wouldn't   that be  derivative like the  ferry terminals bread bin roof?

Oh  yes  I can see   it might   be  preferred  to  start  from a blank sheet   as far as  aesthetic    but  is it  ecological to demolish   a   good  structural frame in terms of   carbon  neutrality.

So    what   would  be  done  with   such a building if  it is to be replaced,   albeit  with extensive   pre planned   shuffling    around.   What  for that matter has  been done  with  Kirkwall's  former   facility,  what    is  being  done  with  Courtney  hostel.   The st Nicholas  house  foremer  ADC   tower on a podium   was   demolished  entirely,  ho ho   who  is  going to pay  for   this   to happen. Will   the Scottish  government be  blamed  if the shetland isles   don’t  get a brand new   futurist   building  for the  21st century.  Remember   the   statistical   variations of   load   which can be  extreme at  unpredictable times     despite scheduling  of  some   operations,    more seem  to come from A&E   unpredictably   It    just  seems to happen  ,  then a  virus  like that   overloads the   space  available  ,  only so   much space  can be  rapidly  developed  as   was   done  by Glasgow apparently  though  its  big hospital    is a  case  in point  some of  it being   later  Victorian or  Edwardian with  modern  multi  story     additions  , similar    to some  latter  20th c   ARI   planning.

 

Re usage rather than demolition  and  wastage  

 

Then   what  would   the 3 storey  framed   building     become,   it would be  in the  same league as  former  department  stores  like BHS   Next and  former 1970s office  blocks   . They either   get  reused   as  server    piles,  by telecommunications   companies,   or  perhaps  some   further regional    insurance brokering,   which  can both  be sited  any where  really,   Another  possibility would be  to  redevelop  the   three storey  building  as  a  multiple of small  enterprises  but they  are every where   about  ex  industrial  cities  in  the  former mills.   One   possibility   which would   be  a step  forwards  would be a  loose  conglomeration regarding  the   declining   oil/gas    interests in what  Shetland should  do  next. Quite so  the former  fish house at north  ness  did something  along those lines  with the  very pushy   personae   of the  Viking  energy  scheme,  a    difference could  be  that  should   be  about    micro  energy production  projects   for example  various   scales of  ground heat  pumps   out of the shetland  briny wind   atmosphere,   conservation   further   eco developments along the lines of the district heat  scheme,  a pulp burner,   the   extension of  quick start up stages   of   gas   generators  working  with   sullom voe   power   generator  and the   aerogenerators.

.  

Maybe   the  ground  floor   would  have public access   though there  are more than enough cafes and restaurants in public building   in that town    .  keep it  basically mothballed  for  future virus   overloads.    SPecial isolation     rooms, that sort of expensive   long  shot.  

 

Personally I don’t believe  it is     carbon   neutral to demolish   such   framed  structures     Some  had  to  be demolished  for  grand   civic   upgrading  ,  Marischall  square complete   with  light  show ,   St Pauls precinct.   But  the  Gilbert and Bain site  is  not in that league  and  building  homes  there   after  demolishing   the  place  will be  very   expensive,   maybe  apartments     for nhs  workers,  on one floor,   the  statistics of    aged   increased on  another    with  some  mothballed   areas for specialised virus rooms  ,   administrative   overload   shifting.  Would pay     its  way.  

  Still   shetland nhs   have   architectural   design   and planners   I think  called Atkins.  So   it would be them  who should have to  figure  the  matter out.