NHS England and NHS Improvement have given the go-ahead for the development of one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the NHS. The project will be the first of its type in the UK to be certified to the Passivhaus standard.

The Foleshill Health Centre building will be situated in Coventry and forms part of a £3.3 million partnership development between Community Health Partnerships (CHP) and NHS Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The scheme has now reached financial close and has an expected delivery date of April 2021.

The building will house a GP practice comprising of five consulting rooms and two treatment rooms which will serve one of the areas of Coventry with the highest health needs.

A key feature of the centre is its ventilation system which will deliver fresh and filtered clean air for the operating theatre and whole building.

As part of the green strategy, the Foleshill building also avoids fossil fuel consumption on site, with heating provided by an air source heat pump. There will also be charging points for electric cars and secure bicycle parking to encourage cycling. Photo voltaic (solar) panels on the roof will generate some of the energy to be used in the building.

“This is a very exciting project which has taken a huge amount of effort to bring to a conclusion,” said Chief Commercial Officer at CHP, Malcolm Twite. “As the first health building development of its kind in UK we had to ensure that every option was thoroughly explored and evaluated prior to gaining national approval from NHSE”.

Commenting on the news, a spokesperson from NHS Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “we need to ensure that our own organisation works sustainably as well as encouraging sustainability in the services that we commission.”

The health sector represents 4-5 per cent of the total UK greenhouse gas emissions.