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News: British inventor James Dyson has donated £4 million towards building a new cancer centre in Bath, UK, based on the principles underlying his successful redesign of a neonatal ward at the same hospital.

Dyson, who lives and works near to the Royal United Hospital, said he hoped the new centre would be able to replicate the success of the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care.

“Research has shown the incredible effect that a healing environment can have on recovery,” said the inventor, whose best-known products include a bagless vacuum cleaner and a fan heater with no blades.

“This new cancer centre will use cutting edge technology and well considered design to improve the health of its patients.”

By reducing background noise from hospital machinery and increasing natural light, doctors at the hospital found that the condition of sick and premature newborns improved substantially.

“We have been hugely impressed by the outcomes,” Dyson said of the baby unit, which was designed by local architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

A study funded by the James Dyson Foundation, the charitable body set up by the designer, found that 90% of babies recuperating in the unit went home breastfeeding, compared to 64% in the old building.

Large windows and skylights increased natural light by up to 50% and exposed babies to changing outside conditions, helping them gain awareness of day and night.

Noise levels were decreased by over 9 decibels on average, helping babies to sleep on average for 22% longer than in the old unit, while nurses in the new building spent 20% more of their time with the newborns.

The cot rooms are arranged in a clockwise circuit from intensive care through to high dependency, special care, the parents’ rooms and finally home, so that parents can clearly track their baby’s route to recovery.

Medical equipment is fixed to the ceiling and pulled down when in use, reducing clutter at ground level.

Dr. Bernie Marden, a consultant neonatologist and paediatrician on the ward, said the study had allowed doctors to build up an accurate picture of how babies respond to their environment.

“We have found that the design of the building is leading to better fed and better rested babies, contributing to their recuperation,” he said.

See more of The Dyson Centre in our earlier post, published shortly after the unit opened in 2011, or see more hospitals and healthcare centres on Dezeen.

Here’s more information from Dyson:

The Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care is leading the way in improving the quality of life for sick and premature babies. Pioneering research funded by the James Dyson foundation, has found that of babies studied, 90% recuperating in the new unit went home breast feeding, compared to 64% in the old building. The study also showed that babies are better rested – sleeping on average for 22% longer than in the old unit.

Through award winning architecture, the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) creates a healthier environment for babies, parents, and nursing staff. The project was funded in partnership with the NHS and private donations, including £750,000 from the Dyson family and the James Dyson Foundation. The building has a progressive layout. A clockwise circuit of cot rooms, starting with intensive care and leading to special care and finally home. This creates a psychological effect of development. Large windows give controllable natural light throughout, allowing babies, parents and staff to be aware of changing outside conditions, gaining an awareness of day and night.

The Research

A £100,000 donation by the James Dyson Foundation is enabling research to ascertain the full benefits of the new building. Collecting data from both the old building and the new, the hospital is building up a picture of the ideal environment for recuperation.

Consultant neonatologist and paediatrician, Dr. Bernie Marden said: “We have collated vast amounts of data using new techniques to build up a really accurate picture of how babies respond to their environment. We have found that the design of the building is leading to better fed and better rested babies, contributing to their recuperation.”

James Dyson said: “New technology has been specifically adapted to monitor a baby’s sleep cycle and respiratory patterns in a far less invasive way than ever before. The findings show the way in which design and technology can have an effect far beyond the hands of a single consumer – aiding health.”

Accelerometers measure speed and movement; they are used in aircraft and smartphones and increasingly in sports and athletics. Bath Rugby Club uses the technology to analyse player training techniques and fitness.

This research is the first in the world to adapt and use accelerometers to measure the respiratory and sleep patterns in a baby in order to monitor their reaction to the surrounding environment, using an extremely low power, self contained wireless device. Previously intrusive methods including ECG and information from ventilator circuits have been used to measure this.

The accelerometers have been found to be sensitive enough to provide remote and wireless respiratory information. Doing away with invasive tubing and tangled wires. This is a significant result which may allow for remote monitoring of apnoea, effort of breathing and the quality of sleep. The studied babies in the new centre were found to be asleep or in a restful state for longer than in the old building.

Infrared tracking technology was used to pinpoint staff movements in the building and test the efficiency of the design. The study found that nurses in the new building spend 20% more of their time in the clinical rooms, with the babies. Meaning more time spent caring for the babies.

Lux meters were used to take light measurements according to specific times, dates and outside weather conditions. Up to 50% more natural light was measured in the new building. This ensures a more natural circadian rhythm – allowing the babies, parents and staff to perceive the changing day, aiding the babies sleeping and eating habits.

Sound pressure level meter readings were taken and an average level for each hour was documented in decibels. Noise levels in the special care unit have decreased by over 9dB on average from those in the old building. It is suggested that the increased sleep observed in the babies relates to this reduction in background noise.

Cot side diaries used in the research captured the physiological state of the babies in each environment and the interaction of parents with their babies. In addition a qualitative aspect of the project measured how the ‘intervention’ (the building) affected parental and staff experience, taking the form of semi structured psychological interviews.

The post Dyson to build cancer centre after his
ward redesign improves baby care appeared first on Dezeen.

Située en Serbie à Prishtina, cette superbe création architecturale est l’œuvre de l’architecte italien Paolo Venturella. Cette structure proche d’une sphère, est une mosquée permettant à la fois à ce lieu de prière d’allier recueillement et modernité avec un façade recouverte de panneaux photovoltaïques.

This two-storey extension by French architect Loïc Picquet converts an old farm building into a rural guesthouse in the Alsace region of France (+ slideshow).

Loïc Picquet renovated the interior of the single-storey farmhouse to accommodate a communal living and dining room, then added the timber-clad extension to create four guest rooms, each with a double bed and en suite bathroom.

The timber frame of the existing structure is exposed inside the building, so the architect followed suit by leaving wooden ceiling beams uncovered in each of the new bedrooms.

Floors are also wooden, while stable doors separate bedrooms from bathrooms and timber-framed cubbyholes contain extra beds and storage areas.

“A new wood construction was added as a natural and fluid extension of the old farm, not only renovating it but mostly honoring it by the use of its history and details,” said the architect. “Niches were built in the walls and double doors were chosen over the regular ones, so that a special interaction between the bathroom and the room could be created.”

A chunky wooden staircase with staggered treads leads to the new upper floor and marks the divide between the new and old structures.

New timber-framed panel windows were added to the old building, while square Velux windows were installed for each of the bedrooms in the extension.

Other renovated farm buildings to feature on Dezeen include a house in southern England, a converted cattle shed in Belgium and a reconstructed stone stable in Spain. See more renovation projects.

Photography is by Stéphane Spach.

The post Création de 4 chambres d’hôtes
by Loïc Picquet appeared first on Dezeen.

Warsaw studio Moko Architects has unveiled plans to build a diving and indoor skydiving centre outside Warsaw by surrounding a pair of abandoned cement silos with a tower of shipping containers.

The facility is proposed for the industrial district of Żerań, where a series of channels transport water between the city and Zegrze Reservoir, and a number of abandoned factories, warehouses and silos stand empty.

Moko Architects has designed a ten-storey structure where diving and skydiving activities can take place inside the cylinders of the converted silos. The first will be filled entirely with water to allow divers to plunge to depths of 25 metres, while the second will contain an underwater “cave” at its base and a skydiving tunnel at its top.

Shipping containers will be stacked up around the outside of the silos to provide offices and training facilities, as well as hostel accommodation, an exhibition area, a reading room, sports shops and a summer cafe. Balcony terraces will also be created on each floor by the irregular arrangement of the containers.

Construction is due to start in 2015.

Other architectural projects that use shipping containers include offices for an organic farm in China, a hotel in Germany and a sea-facing observation deck in South Korea. See more shipping container architecture.

Here’s some more information from Moko Architects:

Modernising the existing silos at the Żerański channel into a Diving and Indoor Skydiving Centre open all year round

The area for the investment is located ca. 12 km away from the centre of Warsaw. This is a part of a house factory in Żerań which operated in the past. Today, there are abandoned halls, warehouses and non-developed area. Main facilities include wholesale warehouses of construction materials and other products. The Żerański channel flows through the entire area, which creates a unique municipal landscape.

The collection of elements described above has a huge potential. The channel is a great water communication route between the City and the Zegrze Reservoir which provides the opportunity of doing water sports and staying active. The remains of the factories, warehouses and silos may be attractive for investors interested in their modernisation into lofts, offices, studios or erecting new buildings which will interline into the surrounding landscape.

This area is also becoming a popular place for amateurs of extreme sports, artists or people who like exploring abandoned buildings.

Our design assumes development of a Diving and Indoor Skydiving Centre open all year round in the old silos where bulk cement used to be stored in the past. The existing facility is a perfect base for this investment and will be the only place in Poland where people wishing to learn the skills of diving will have the opportunity to safely train at the depth of 25m under control. The well located in one of the silos is connected to the “cave” of the other cylinder. This is an ideal place to train wreck diving. The diameter of the well is 7m.

Apart from the cave, the second silo will feature a technical area as well as an Indoor Skydiving Centre. This place will make dreams about flying come true. In the “tube” where air will flow at high speeds, you will be able to safely train skydiving.

The Diving and Indoor Skydiving Centre will feature additional functions for people who will only visit the centre for a few hours with their families as well as for organised groups coming for training sessions lasting a couple of days.

The ground floor will feature the entrance area with exhibition space, professional magazines reading area, external café open in the summer season as well as a workshop. Level 1 will house sports stores. Level 2 and 3 will feature offices and administration. Level 4 will feature a hostel for indoor skydivers while level 5 will house training rooms and changing rooms for skydivers as well as the entrance to the area where the practical training of indoor skydiving is conducted. Level 6 will house a hostel for divers, level 7 will feature training and presentation rooms for divers while on level 8 there will be changing rooms separate for women and men. The will also be a buffer zone for divers to directly access the place where they start diving. At the same level, the facility will also feature a warm-up room. In the retained control room area at level 9 a small bar with a view onto the city panorama is designed. There will be terraces on all levels where you can relax after training while watching the industrial scenery intertwined with the Żerański channel.

The modules forming the space for additional functions are applied onto the existing structure of the silo walls looking as if they were growing on them. They are made of light self-supporting steel structure located on both sides and connected by a staircase. They comprise system cubes operating on the basis of single containers which are relatively cheap to manufacture and easy to rearrange in case of the need of changing the functional arrangement of the entire project. Polycarbonate plates will be the covering material through which the structure will be visible.

Completion of this project will set a direction for the development of this district and may become an alternative cultural centre in this part of Warsaw.

The post Diving and Indoor Skydiving Centre
by Moko Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Les équipes de Woha Architects ont imaginé à Singapour, l’architecture du dernier hôtel de « Parkroyal » installé au cœur de la ville. Avec un design très réussi, ce lieu incroyable propose près de 15 000 m2 de verdure luxuriante grâce à des jardins auto-alimentés grâce à la récupération de l’eau de pluie.