Prince Charles, a long time critic of faceless modern architecture, is to advise on a new generation of National Health Service hospitals included in a major programme aimed at introducing more 'patient-friendly' environments across the UK.
Health Secretary Alan Milburn is expected to make an official announcement next month about the role, which it is believed will give the Prince considerable sway in the project.
“The Prince will work closely with the Department of Health on future hospital design and will bring the resources of the Prince’s Foundation – which marries his interest in the arts and architecture – to the project,” a spokesman for St James’s Palace confirmed.
Edinburgh architect Benjamin Tindall, who has worked with Prince Charles on a number of projects, said, “This is very good news because the Prince has probably visited more hospitals than just about anyone in the country and understands how buildings affect the state of mind of patients.
“His humane approach to architecture will benefit hospitals enormously because he understands that they are not simply machines and that their design has been shown to affect patients' recovery rates.”
The Prince has long criticised what he sees as an “arrogance” among British architects. He famously described a proposed extension to the National Gallery in central London as looking like a “monstrous carbuncle” and likened the British Library at Paddington to “an academy for secret police.” He has also spoken out recently against designs for the new Scottish Parliament building which overlooks Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
