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CGI Medical Architecture – Shotley Bridge Hospital Image courtesy of Medical Architecture

Shotley Bridge Hospital

Proposed view - image courtesy of Medical Architecture

Location
County Durham
Sectors
Healthcare

Healthcare landscapes must support people who may be anxious, unwell or unfamiliar with the site while also meeting the operational needs of a working clinical environment. At Shotley Bridge, the opportunity was to create an external setting where arrival, movement and landscape provide clarity and reassurance from the first approach.

Landscape concept – Shotley Bridge Hospital

Working with clinical teams, architects and engineers, ONE mapped patient drop-off, staff movement and pedestrian routes to create a legible external environment. Pedestrian and vehicle movement are clearly organised without relying on unnecessary barriers.

Concept masterplan – Shotley Bridge Hospital
Site concept plan: main entrance approach (orange), vehicle routes (dotted), parking, tree-lined edges and the two courtyard gardens.

Planting softens parking and built edges, supports wayfinding and introduces seasonal and biodiversity value. Drainage and servicing are integrated within the green infrastructure so that operational requirements are resolved as part of the landscape rather than competing with it.

Landscape strategy – Shotley Bridge Hospital

In healthcare, calm often comes from clarity. Landscape can reduce cognitive load through understandable routes, visible destinations, shade, planting and places to pause. These qualities are not separate from technical performance; they emerge when access, drainage, operations and human experience are designed together.

Courtyards – Shotley Bridge Hospital
The two courtyards: a timber terrace with tables (left) and a lawned garden with trees and seating (right).

Outcome

The landscape provides an understated and considered setting for the hospital, supporting patient dignity, staff experience and long-term estate performance through clear movement, robust planting and integrated infrastructure.

Header Main Image Medical Architecture – Shotley Bridge Hospital Image courtesy of Medical Architecture Proposed view
image courtesy of Medical Architecture

Project Highlights

  • Healthcare
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Arrival & Wayfinding
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Biodiversity
  • Operational Coordination
  • Accessible Landscape

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CGI Medical Architecture – Shotley Bridge Hospital Image courtesy of Medical Architecture