Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Emergency Department
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
Yorkshire, UK
About the Project
The Huddersfield Royal Infirmary recently unveiled its new £15 million Accident and Emergency (A&E) department to the public in May 2024, as part of a substantial £200 million investment in facilities at both HRI and Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax. This new A&E department replaces the older 1960s facility on North Drive, offering an enhanced environment for patient care and modern medical practices. The new building on South Drive, connected to the main hospital via a corridor, provides seamless access to critical services such as CT and MRI scans, operating theatres, and wards.
The new A&E is almost twice the size of the previous department, featuring a larger resuscitation area with four private bays, a dedicated children’s waiting area, treatment rooms with sliding glass doors to enhance privacy, two state-of-the-art x-ray rooms, and a sensitively located bereavement suite for families. Its thoughtful design and enhanced facilities have already garnered acclaim, winning the Best New Build and overall winner titles at the Huddersfield Civic Society Design Awards. Judges praised the project’s thoughtful approach to layout, internal design, and landscaping, highlighting the positive impact of colourful elements and murals on the overall atmosphere, particularly for younger patients
Solution
To ensure that this award-winning design would remain pristine and functional in the face of heavy foot traffic and potential impacts, Construction Specialties (CS) was tasked with providing wall protection solutions for high-traffic areas.
In most adult areas, 2mm Acrovyn Sheet in Snow White was installed to a partial height on the walls in main circulation corridors and treatment rooms, with joints hot welded using colour-matched weld rods supplied by CS. Acrovyn profiles, such as the HRB-20 combined hand and crash rail, were added over the sheet where necessary, with the handrail cover in a contrasting dark grey to meet colour contrast requirements.
In the paediatric area, Acrovyn by Design was installed to a height of 1 metre, featuring vibrant and engaging artwork. The handrail part of the HRB-20 was supplied in a bright Tangerine colour, coordinating with the thematic artwork in the corridors. Additionally, Acrovyn by Design was used to create feature walls in three assessment rooms, each with a unique theme: an underwater scene, a woodland/meadow scene, and a space scene. Across all corridors, external corners were protected with corner guards in Snow White, while above the skirting, FR-225 rub rails were installed in the same colour.
To address door protection, CS provided Acrovyn Sheet in Light Grey or Snow White to half the height of the doors at most risk of impact damage. Double doors were further reinforced with Door Edge Protectors in Charcoal colour. Expansion joint covers, CS’ model GFPS-100 with Grey gaskets, were supplied to accommodate structural movement. These covers offer minimal visual impact and a flush floor finish, essential for maintaining hygiene and ease of cleaning in a hospital setting.
These comprehensive wall protection measures, combined with the building’s thoughtful design, ensure that Huddersfield Royal Infirmary’s new A&E will remain a safe, welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing environment for both staff and patients for years to come.
