The planning of a general hospital, with particular reference to the new Alexandria Hospital, Dunbartonshire.

emergency spacing the wards will take up to 280. The ancillary accommodation is larger than usual for this size of hospital as there are two operating theatres, each of which can take two tables in emergency; the kitchen is equipped to provide meals for 600; the laboratory and laundry are for Area use and administration accommodates the local board of management offices. As far as we know, this is the first complete hospital built in Britain for many years, and, as such, provided an opportunity for research into such matters as planning for economy of staffing and general maintenance, the maximum reduction in walking and service distances, the study of flexibility to allow for future changes, as well as consideration of ideas gained from the latest American and European examples and the research of the Nuffield Trust on hospital design. Study was also given, in this particular case, to the design of a structure capable of withstanding unusual horizontal stress and of prototype standardization of structure to facilitate pre-ordering and pre-site fabrication to allow speedy and economical erection. The site of the hospital is a small sheltered valley at the south of Loch Lomond. There are fairly high hills to the west and south of the site, the direction of the Clyde and industrial areas. There are low hills to the east, but it is fairly open to the north, giving a view of Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond from the approach road and forecourt of the hospital. The line of the natural valley runs approximately north and south, so that the main spine of the scheme placed itself along this valley. Road access, sewer outfall, and gas, water and electricity services connect to the site at the north-east corner, so that the north end of the services spine is the receiving end for all goods and services. The prevailing wind is from the south-west which also placed the boiler house chimney at the north end of the spine. In passing I should mention that two major decisions regarding the general policy of the hospital design were accepted after due consideration of all their implications. The first decision was that it was decided to build a low rather than multi-storey hospital to ensure that the buildings are sheltered by the surrounding hills from winds and rainstorms. While it was always the aim to reduce internal distances to a minimum, the low buildings give dispersal and allow that adequate light, air and shelter are available to the different blocks if they are raised to their maximum three storeys in height. The second decision was, that although the north-south axis of the hospital gives east and west orientation to the long sides of the wards, it was decided that where opposition of requirements arose, aspect and orientation of wards should be sacrificed to obtain compactness in planning.