Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy

For the last year I watch as the builder have moved into my local hospital to constructed a new state of the art wing to the existing Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. I visit the hospital on a 6th monthly cycles for appointments. On arrival about a year ago I found the car park that I always park was gone, and it was being cleared. This made me wonder why they would take parking spaces away from a hospital that was already squeezed for parking. As I entered the hospital i noticed a large model of what seem to be an extensions that was going to be made to the hospital. As I read in entree I found out they were going to centralise all the women’s and children’s department with midwife-led units that currently are at Froth Park Hospital. (This is the hospital I was born in) This is a huge project thats going to be costing NHs Fife £100m. This means this has to be done right. The existing Victoria Hospital is a large tower block built in the 70's and now can no longer cope with the demands put on to it. The building its self is slowly deteriorating and in need of up grading fast. Hope Fully this new building will relies some of the perishers from the existing hospital building.

The architects were giving a brief from NHs Fife for a hospital with
:500 bed acute PPP hospital extension to the existing Victoria Hospital
:specialist acute in-patient services
:diagnostic and treatment facilities with walk-in and walk-out surgery
:specialist women’s and children’s department with midwife-led units

The achitect BDP were awarded the contact, they have more than 1200 architects, designers, engineers, urbanists, sustainability experts, lighting designers and acoustics specialists in 15 studios across the UK, France, Ireland and Netherlands. BDP has a leading track record in all major sectors including health, education, workplace, retail, urbanism, heritage, housing, transport and leisure.

BDP came up with a wave shaped building set within a new landscape and parking facility. This new building is like a breath of fresh air in this new medical flag ship hospital. The Victoria Hospital has also been in braised with a new state of the art Maggie's Cancer Care Centre designed by Zaha Hadid. This is situated in the grounds of the existing hospital.

I hope for the community this new hospital wing is as smooth running as the lines the form the exterior slender curves that rape around the building.

Activity 1A: Read Chapter 4 of The Culture of Design

For this Assignment we have been asked to look at fellow design study students photographs to see if we can find out what influences them from their past and to find a story through their life’s. I exchanged my photographs with Emma Thompson, even though we are both in the same class I asked myself how much do I really know about her life outside of uni life?

The first photograph I looked at shows her at the youngest age maybe between 2 and 3 years. It seems to be the youngest age out of the 4 photographs. She seems to be interested in the object she is holding making me think she may have been quite an active child and inquisitive into new things. She seems to want to know how everything works. The picture shows her on her own maybe a first child or an only child with mainly adult contact at this age.

Emma agreed with this statement informed me that she was very active as child and was always running around.

This second photograph shows Emma as very happy with a smile streaked from ear to ear. She seems to be contented with her colouring in books showing a creative side from her wee years as a child. I think Emma has a secret sweet tooth liking everything sweet and sugary. Emma seems to have a happy and comfortable home life but she seem to manage to leave a trail of belongings behind her. For this to be the second photo without any other children she seem to be happy herself and able to keep herself entertained.

Emma tells me that she has always been very art from a young age weather with colouring in or other arts and crafts .

The third image tells me that Emma has good confidence in herself with yet again another large smile showing teeth. This time Emma has got 3 dolls that she appears to be playing with. She could be symbolising the need for a sibling at this point or maybe a sibling may be on the way? This maybe her preparing herself for a real baby joining the family? She was into popular television shows as shown by her pjs being “Tom & Jerry” this cartoons were aimed at her age range means she was part of the crowed liking popular shows that most children watch at this age.

Emma informed that her little sister had not long been born at this point and received one of the dolls as a present for her little sisters arrival, she was also very pleased to have a little sister.

This final image shows Emma clutching a baby, I believe this baby is the brother or sister Emma has been waiting for and has brought happiness to Emma as she has a real baby to look after and keep safe and show all the interesting things she had discovered so far in her life. Emma will engoy showing this sibling right from wrong. She is showing her biggest smile yet could this because she has something new to discover things with. Also the mittens on the sofa may show that Emma likes to lose things or maybe even like to rebel against what she is meant to be doing.

Emma agreed with this statement and say she has guided her sister alot of the years weather in a good way or not is an other questions. Her sister is now think about following Emma to university.