The team creating the new University Hospital Monklands headed stateside for a unique opportunity to raise the profile of the project.
Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) colleagues presented to an international audience at the 2025 Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo in San Diego, California.
Fiona Cowan, MRP Clinical Lead for Nursing, was joined by Helen Pickering and Rachel Personius, from MRP lead advisers Currie & Brown, and David Ross, a director at project architects Keppie Design.
David said:
“The theme of the expo was ‘Building the Bright Future of Health’ and our contribution to that agenda focused on reducing carbon by being Scotland’s first net zero hospital.
Our presentation took place in the optimal late morning slot of the first day, following an evangelistic opening and keynote speeches urging participants to ‘know no limits’. We began by outlining the history to the project, with Fiona describing the origin of the clinical model – our blueprint for care – before discussing how the team overcame design and engineering challenges in developing a fully electric, resilient healthcare environment while maintaining the highest clinical standards and operational efficiency.
Helen and Rachel explained how our 1.3 million-square-foot design integrates sustainability, digital innovation, repeatable components and value-driven approaches to support the Scottish Government’s 2045 net zero targets.
We also illustrated the MRP ‘repeatable room’ process which drives component design from the ground up by exploiting repeatability for proportion, layout, material selection, ergonomics, data and engineering.
MRP will offer NHS Lanarkshire a facility that is state of the art in terms of the built environment. By applying an adaptable design, it will also ensure that as services evolve over time in response to demography and epidemiology, the wards and departments will remain fit for purpose.
The audience included healthcare leaders, clinical practitioners, architects and sustainability professionals looking to navigate complex healthcare projects and align environmental goals with exceptional patient care. Their questions at the end of the hour-long session included understanding our approach to setting a new standard for balancing cost management, cutting-edge design and a streamlined clinical model to give patients the best outcomes and achieve sustainability without compromising on quality or function.
It might seem unusual that a public sector project being designed and delivered in Scotland to UK NHS healthcare standards and guidelines would find relevance in an American healthcare context given the apparent and evident differences in provision and procurement. However – in responding to the theme of the Expo – all major healthcare projects are currently facing universal challenges relating to diminishing resources, whether in energy, materials, finance, time or indeed, people. All projects, regardless of location, are having to address obsolescence in ways that place far greater priorities in designing with layers (structures, services, fit-out) which make adaptability far easier and more efficient.
It was a substantial honour to have the MRP recognised as an international example of cutting-edge sustainable healthcare design, and we all felt privileged to have the opportunity to represent NHS Lanarkshire and project team at this important event.”
