Designing the Built Environment

All NHS buildings need to have a significantly lower carbon impact, not only in their construction but also in their lifetime use and in their decommissioning. NHS buildings must be designed to promote sustainable behaviours in staff, patients and visitors, and they must be adaptable to support change towards low carbon patient pathways.

Buildings that provide healthcare traditionally bring together a wide range of carbon intensive activities and processes. Wider environmental considerations such as energy supply and distribution, and the integration with active transport systems, make significant contributions to carbon emissions. These considerations should be taken into account at the very early design stage of any project.

NHS organisations should take every opportunity to protect and enhance the natural environment surrounding NHS buildings, to increase mental and physical well being benefits and support local sustainable communities. This section provides information to support better design, with helpful hints, template management and actions plans, best practice examples and a list of useful resources.

Natural Spaces

The NHS is one of the largest owners of estate in England. NHS organisations should take every opportunity to protect and enhance the natural environment surrounding NHS buildings. This can improve the quality of life for patients, staff and visitors, as well as the long term quality of the environment. 

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New Build

All decisions about design and build of healthcare facilities must be explicit about how they encourage a broader approach to sustainability including transport, delivery of services and community engagement. Decision making governing the construction of new healthcare buildings should be made with reference to information published by the UK Climates Impact Programme, for each region and locality over the building’s lifetime.

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Refurbishments

All NHS buildings, including those currently in use, need to move quickly to have a significantly lower carbon impact, not only in their construction but also in their lifetime use and in their decommissioning.

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