The external materials have been selected for their attractive appearance and to meet the criteria of robustness, sustainability and longevity. The proposed hospital is also viewed as a public building and the choice of materials is appropriate to a building of this type, rather than reflecting the surrounding predominately residential area.
External walls will use a range of materials where black brick and through-coloured render will serve as a background for two types of cladding panels. These are white fibre cement panels and timber laminated panels manufactured from kraft paper and finished with natural timber veneers. The dark colour of the brick is used as a medium to enhance the crisp lines of the bright cladding as well as the shape and colours of the wooded bank at the rear of the building.
The chosen materials will resonate with the great contrast between the urban and natural environment in which the building is set in. The uniform colour of the brick and render, and the regularity of the cladding panels will contrast with the more organic appearance of the timber boards.
The new development offers an opportunity to provide a modern healthcare facility that matches the aspirations of the 21st century NHS and create a uniform and contemporary frontage to the road that should participate in the improvement of the urban environment whilst serving the needs of the population.
More information can be found in the
New Dover Hospital Exhibition document.
