Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability (RHN)
Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability (RHN)
London, UK
About the Project
Construction Specialties (CS) played a part in the redevelopment project for the Wellesley Ward at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability (RHN), a charitable organization that works closely with the NHS. The hospital sought to refurbish this specialist inpatient ward, focusing on adults with sustained brain injuries who often exhibit challenging behaviour. This initiative was part of RHN’s ambitious £1.5 million fundraising appeal aimed at modernizing and elevating the standard of care provided.
Design Goals
The challenge was to ensure the longevity of doors in high-traffic areas of the ward, especially where there was considerable movement of wheelchairs and hospital equipment. CS was approached by the architects, Floyd Slaski, to provide a durable and easy to maintain solution that would not only protect doors but also aesthetically enhance the ward environment. The chosen door protection had to work for both single and double-door configurations and integrate with the broader design scheme. In addition, it had to be suitable for use with fire-rated doors, and protect door faces and edges.
Solution
A combination of Acrovyn door protection solutions was selected for the project, including curved push plates (‘Rainbow’ design), rectangular kick plates, and Door Edge Protectors (DEPs) manufactured to suit 54 mm thick timber core doors.
The door protection was produced from 2 mm thick, impact resistant Acrovyn Sheet, in three visually uplifting colours – Golden Yellow, Anise, and Aqua Blue – to complement the aesthetic of the ward. Importantly, our DEPs came in different configurations: plain (DE-06), with an intumescent seal (DE-04), and with a brush-style fire/smoke seal (DE-05). These variations were chosen to be compatible with FD30 and FD60 fire-rated doors as well as non-fire-rated doors in the refurbished area.
The updated ward opened to patients in August 2023. The use of Acrovyn door protection on this project offered a hygienic and lasting solution that effectively mitigated impact damage in high-traffic areas while also visually complementing the ward’s interior design.