Team

Mark Glatman

Mark Glatman is Chief Executive of the Abstract Group. By qualification he is a solicitor and after several years in private practice he joined Baltic PLC. He was responsible for developing the property department at Baltic PLC specialising in Enterprise Zone development and finance and was a main Board Director of Baltic PLC from 1985-88. He gained considerable experience in asset finance and deal structuring.

In 1988 he established the Akeler Group of Companies and was Chief Executive of the Group until March 2000. Over the 12 years at Akeler, Mark was involved in over 400,000 sq m of property development as well as investment and financing. In 1998 Mark sold Akeler to the Security Capital European Realty Fund. At the time Mark left the company, it was recognised as one of the most active and innovative property companies in the UK and was fast developing a similar recognition in Europe.

Christopher McPherson

Christopher McPherson is Development Director, having first started working with Mark Glatman in 1998 in a consultancy role for Akeler. He is a Chartered Surveyor with a property background stemming from 1982, including directorships of Lambert Smith Hampton and Collier & Madge. Chris has wide-ranging experience of commercial property throughout the UK having previously acted in an advisory capacity to a number of institutional, pension fund and property company investors before moving to join Abstract in January 2007.

Floyd Carroll BSc ACIOB

Prior to joining the Abstract Group as Project Manager, Floyd Carroll worked for Davis Langdon on Abstract's Salvation Army International Headquarters and Rodwell House in London and Chatham Maritime projects in Kent. Since 2005, Floyd Carroll has become a central component of the delivery team at Abstract, with his core workload in the medical provision sector. He also has extensive experience in the commercial offices sector, predominantly for end users and co-developers, taking development management responsibility for specific development projects as well as co-ordinating the activities of the project teams from project inception and procurement, through to practical completion and defects period.

Chloe Taylor MRICS

Chloe Taylor joined Abstract in 2007 as a property consultant. She has spent over 10 years in the commercial property industry, the last 5 years specialising in healthcare development. Chloe's experience and excellent communication skills enable her to liaise directly with GPs and PCTs to develop new primary care premises throughout the country, identifying new marketing opportunities and building on existing relationships.

Projects

The design of our buildings evolves through a close working relationship between our architects and you, the end user, so that the solutions we provide are tailored exactly to your requirements. Click on the project names on the right for more details.

Ideas

We aim to provide the very best environment for patients, staff and visitors. 

Good quality buildings, landscape, views, natural light and sensitive colours aid the healing process and make our working environments pleasant and therapeutic. Abstract are committed to work with you to create a building which celebrates that ethos and helps make a positive impact on patient health. 

"People say the effect is on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body, too.  Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, colour, by light, we do know this, that they have a physical effect. Variety of form and brilliancy of colour in the objects presented to patients is the actual means of recovery."  Florence Nightingale 'Notes on Hospitals', 1863 

Nearly one hundred and fifty years later those sentiments are still true. The quality of the building, views of the outside, natural light and pleasing colours are essential to the well-being of patients and their recovery. Studies have shown faster patient recovery, greater patient satisfaction, reduced stress levels amongst staff and helping recruit and retain quality staff. 

"We perceive our environment through our five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. The information we pick up from our senses is relayed to the brain which, in turn, will affect our physiological, emotional, psychological and, ultimately, physical condition. Understanding the senses is the key to good design, it allows designers to design with greater skill and enables them to create truly responsive healing environments." NHS Estates 

At Abstract, we and our architects believe strongly in creating the very best in healing environment in our buildings. We work closely with the stakeholders to create buildings which are spacious, welcoming, light and bright. Wherever possible they are naturally lit and ventilated, have good external landscape and bright and cheerful colours within. We engage with artists to work with the staff and patients to personalize the building and create a calm and safe atmosphere. 

Illustrated above is a piece of work by Bridget Jones for the Regional Spinal Injuries Unit at James Cook University Hospital Middlesbrough. Our architects, P+HS, have worked with Bridget on a number of schemes and her work will feature in our current and future buildings. 

www.bridgetjonesglass.co.uk

Design & Procurement

Most GPs only get one chance to build a new surgery. It is a great opportunity to choose how you want to work and create a building that is both a good place in which to work, as well as a sound investment.

Abstract will develop a new Medical Centre for your practice, designed to your requirements. We take all the development risk on your behalf - finding the site, having our professionals design the building and then having it built to our stringent requirements.  We negotiate the rent on your behalf and you lease the completed building from us for an agreed term.

We want you to be happy working in your new building, so it is very much in our interests to ensure that its design and construction meet all your requirements, as well as those of the NHS, the PCT and the District Valuer.  We aim for our buildings to be energy efficient and requiring minimum maintenance, thereby ensuring minimal running costs.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the highest standards of sustainability for our schemes we provide flexible buildings which allow for future expansion, remodelling or alternative use ensuring that the investment in the property is worthwhile throughout the building's life and the building itself is adaptive to changing care and work practices.

We are continually focused on minimising the carbon impact of our infrastructure on the environment.  We use the NHS BREEAM Healthcare toolkit to measure our buildings and, as a minimum, achieve an "Excellent" rating.

We are committed to delivering buildings which exceed current accessibility requirements.  Where necessary we work with access consultants to advise on best practice and we use innovative and imaginative way-finding in our buildings to ensure access to all facilities.  In addition to the core care facilities, we also provide a range of facilities in our buildings such as baby feeding rooms, family toilets which accommodate pushchairs and toddlers, as well as accessible toilets for both staff and visitors.

The architects we work with are P+HS Architects - for further information on the company and to see examples of their work, please have a look at their website: www.pandhs.co.uk.

The image above is a facility that has been designed by P+HS and is called 'One Life', an Integrated Primary Care Centre in Middlesbrough, comprising GP surgery, cafe, pharmacy, laser eye care centre, diagnostics, operating theatres and endoscopy centre.