Pendock’s decorative column casings complement interior design scheme at Croydon Univ
When the new A&E department at Croydon University Hospital was constructed, decorative column casings from encasement specialist Pendock were specified to ensure that load-bearing structural columns in the reception area were concealed in a way that would complement the interior design scheme.
Croydon University Hospital’s A&E department, which cost over £21 million to build, is a modern, high-quality facility. It is 30 per cent larger than the previous department, with extra features. It includes 28 emergency bays, a dedicated children’s emergency unit with 14 paediatric patient rooms, an eight-bed resuscitation unit, an urgent treatment centre for minor ailments and illnesses and three mental health liaison rooms.
Designed and constructed in close collaboration with patient representatives and healthcare staff, the aim was to create a bespoke facility to suit Croydon's needs, and an efficient, patient-friendly environment. It features, for example, a dementia-friendly design and rooms with doors, rather than curtained cubicles, to increase privacy for patients.
A key thing that Croydon Health Services NHS Trust wanted to achieve was a pleasing environment for patients and staff, with interior design playing a significant role. Minimising the impact of three 2.5-metre-high freestanding structural columns, situated in the A&E’s main reception area, was therefore essential.
Load-bearing structural columns are a common feature of public sector buildings like hospitals, and, when it comes to aesthetics, can prove challenging. Their location is generally predetermined and unchangeable, and not always convenient – often being positioned in the centre of a room. Decorative casings are usually fitted around structural columns to ensure they blend in with their surroundings, minimising the aesthetic impact. In some cases, column casings are used to create a feature, even enhancing a building's interior design scheme.
At its UK factory, Pendock manufactures column casings in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and finishes – ensuring the company can deliver a solution to meet any design requirement. With its bespoke manufacturing capabilities, Pendock was able to provide a solution that complemented Croydon University Hospital’s grey, white and red interior design scheme. Three circular casings were produced in a white laminate-finished ply material, with black inner collars at the top and bottom and a grey trim along the length.
Pendock also produced 10 decorative end panels for some of the rooms that had been created within the A&E department. This was a bespoke solution developed for Croydon University Hospital, with the aim of creating a design feature that eliminated sharp edges.
Allan Morley, director of estates for Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, which runs the hospital and emergency department, said: “We wanted to create an A&E facility that would of course be highly functional, but also aesthetically pleasing for patients and staff. The structural columns could have potentially been a real eyesore that impacted on the interior design, but Pendock’s encasement solution has ensured that they blend into the surroundings. As well as being easy to keep clean, the column casings are durable and robust, which is important in this environment, where they might be accidently knocked by trolleys and beds.”
Lee Hall, national sales manager at Pendock, said: “When products are being specified for a hospital, it’s important to use companies with healthcare experience that can work around a fully functioning site. Having worked on many hospital projects, we understand the importance of delivering a high-quality service with minimum disturbance to existing clinical services, which of course need to be maintained.”
Pendock’s column casings are quick and simple to install, and provide consistency in quality and appearance. The company also manufactures pipe boxing to cover heating services, water supply pipework, soil and waste pipes and cabling, as well as sprinkler system boxing, low surface temperature (LST) radiator guards and washroom cubicles. A full project design service is available, including initial site visits and surveys, CAD drawings and installation support. For further information, please visit www.pendock.co.uk.