Prime has been awarded the accolade of Best New Car Park at the 2023 British Parking Awards. Dorset County Hospital’s Multi-Storey Car Park, opened in 2022 and constructed by Willmott Dixon, was chosen because of its outstanding design and construction techniques that have transformed it into a landmark structure.
The aim of the award is to showcase how a car park can be a truly inspiring building that has architectural merit, is well built and which functions smoothly in terms of traffic flow and layout.
A focus of the award submission was on local community involvement. From the outset, the aim was to use the facades of the building as public art to support the hospital’s Arts in Hospital charitable organisation. The image selection was completed in co-operation with the hospital users and local community.
The theme chosen by hospital staff was local landscapes and landmarks that illustrated the hospital’s catchment area. The chosen images were selected via a public vote open to staff, local residents, hospital users and the wider community of Dorset. The top three choices were photos of Portland Bill, Durdle Door and Corfe Castle, used to create images on perforated metal panels to cover elevations of the MSCP.
The new car park was integral to enabling the Trust to free up space for vital facilities that will transform patient care. Freeing up space on site allows the Trust to extend its Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit. It also enables the Trust to provide key worker housing to help recruit and retain staff, an integrated care hub, a new and improved entrance and a hospital support centre for non-clinical staff.
Guy Kippen, Development Manager at Prime said: “We’re delighted to win the award for Best New Car Park. As well as creating much needed parking infrastructure at Dorset County Hospital, the car park has enhanced the local environment by delivering a biodiversity net gain of 15% through on-site improvements to landscape areas and off-site woodland creation in the local area.”
Nick Johnson, Deputy Chief Executive at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “The construction of the car park marks a major milestone in our plans to develop our hospital site. As well as improving parking for our patients, staff and visitors, the car park frees up the space we need to expand our clinical facilities and allow us to continue to provide outstanding care for years to come.
“Thank you to Prime and Willmott Dixon for the design and building work, especially the plants and features such as bird boxes that promote local biodiversity and the perforated panels featuring images of Dorset landmarks that reflect our beautiful county.”
The Awards were presented by writer and comedian Mark Steel at a gala lunch held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
