Health Portfolio
As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, we create award winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real life challenges. Each of our projects is different but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create something that is inherently beautiful, sustainable and useful.
Our experience of designing successful health buildings, from acute hospital facilities, birthing centre, health centres, masterplanning of hospitals estates, medical teaching facilities, day centres and care homes has been recognised through numerous awards.
As well as large scale hospital projects, some smaller schemes have emerged through estate regenerations and mixed-use developments, where such additional facilities are essential in supporting the local community. We take pride in designing welcoming and innovative environments where people can get the care they need.
From our offices in London and Manchester, our urban designers, landscape architects and interior designers also enable us to look holistically at all projects, providing the expertise to deal with both the macro scale masterplanning and micro scale detailing both inside and outside the buildings.
Vorley Road
Islington, London
London Borough of Islington
Vorley Road is a pilot scheme for the London Borough of Islington to create much needed housing whilst addressing the climate emergency. The exemplar project will help meet the borough’s target of net zero carbon whilst delivering 79 homes, of which 51% will be affordable.
The scheme will also include new community facilities in a civic podium, consisting of a medical centre and library. The medical centre relocated from nearby will feature fully accessible treatment and consultation facilities as well as a new courtyard garden acting as an extension of the waiting area. With flexible office accommodation for GPs’ use on the first floor and staff facilities this also includes quiet spaces for online consultations. A brand new home for Archway Library with a new “Access Islington Hub” that offers support for the local community is also part of the scheme.
“This scheme will support a brand-new primary care centre delivered by NHS GPs, making it easier for local residents to access the healthcare they need in their community.”
Cllr
Sara Hyde, Executive Member for Health and Social Care, LB Islington
Finsbury Leisure Centre
Islington, London
London Borough of Islington
This transformation of an 8,690m² site just west of Old Street station, would replace the existing Finsbury Leisure Centre and the neighbouring Bunhill Energy Centre with a ‘state-of-the-art’ leisure centre, a new medical centre and 197 new homes in two buildings.
The development would rehouse and extend the existing leisure facilities to provide:
• Enlarged medical centre providing enhanced and accessible services with 10 consultation/treatment rooms with future capacity for additional two to meet a growing patient list. Designed to achieve BREEAM excellent with aspiration for outstanding.
• A fully accessible high quality leisure centre with six court sports hall, four squash courts, multi-purpose Studios, Health and fitness gym, Four 5/6 aside rooftop football pitches, Changing rooms and Changing Places WC. Designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent with aspiration for Outstanding.
• Internal adaptations within the existing ironmonger Row baths wet leisure centre to provide a multi-purpose studio, Dojo studio and fencing studio for London’s largest fencing club.
This project involved the design of an innovative new outpatients’ ward offering same-day treatment. The centre is split into a series of dynamic zones, each adapted for different users and uses. Features such as an observable children’s playspace and central nurses’ station ensure patients are stable and safe, whilst smaller glazed areas give clinicians space to converse, protecting patient confidentiality.
“This project is about people first. It’s about using design to make the experience of being in hospital less terrifying. The aim all along was to make sure all patients feel welcomed and not institutionalised the moment they cross the threshold.”
Matthew Goulcher, Managing Director
Whittington
Ambulatory Care
Islington, London
Whittington Hospital
A&E Streaming
Greater Manchester
Tameside General Hospital
This scheme provides A&E facilities on the ground floor of the Hartshead North building, with a number of adaptations intended to decrease the time taken for patients to be initially assessed and improve the patient experience.
The proposals include additional triage rooms located off the reception space; extended adults and paediatrics waiting areas and new wayfinding and integrated artwork to aid legibility within the department. Works to the exterior feature a widened level approach for greater accessibility and a garden to provide a calming space for waiting and visual amenity from within the waiting room.
“Residents really appreciate the quality of the facilities provided… I have no doubt that this building will serve the local community for many years to come.”
Councillor Jim O’Sullivan, London Borough of Brent
Welford Centre
Brent, London
Metropolitan Housing Trust
As part of our masterplan for the redevelopment of the Chalkhill Estate, our brief was to design a community building that could serve local residents and become a new focal point for the neighbourhood. An influential factor of the design is the relationship between the different spaces, and so we devised an L-shaped footprint where each wing provides a distinct function. Facilities provided are as a direct result of community input, and include a café, exhibition space, medical centre, two multi-purpose halls and a number of other flexible spaces.
This department, completed in 2018, is ideally located off the main internal thoroughfare at ground floor. The department also has seven consultation rooms, five treatment bays and a range of ancillary spaces, including office space for six staff members.
The department also has seven consultation rooms, five treatment bays and a range of ancillary space including staff office space for six people.
Fractures D epartment
Greater Manchester Tameside General Hospital
Tameside General Hospital Masterplan
Greater Manchester
Tameside General Hospital
With a sprawling estate of almost 100 buildings, we were asked to prepare a masterplan for the short-, medium- and long-term vision for Tameside General Hospital. Following a comprehensive asset review, our strategy focuses on how clinical performance, patient experience, legibility and space utilisation can be improved across the site, all the while reducing waste, energy and costs. A development control plan also outlines various business cases to help clarify and prioritise the most urgent improvements.
This new facility will provide exemplar healthcare for primary care, outpatients, physiotherapy and endoscopy departments over four floors. The ground floor is for shared functions and includes a café and admin facilities, whilst the upper floors house clinical functions. This arrangement enables clinical departments to be zoned, reducing the risk of cross-infection and improving security. All clinical rooms are positioned along external walls with windows providing long views and fresh air. The building also has two internal voids to help to connect the floors and improve natural light and ventilation.
Bromley Health and Wellbeing Centre
Bromley, London
Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich LIFT Company Ltd
Midwife-led Unit
Greater Manchester
Tameside General Hospital
This project will create a new dedicated birthing centre on the ground floor of the 1970s Charlesworth building, as separate from the other on-site maternity facilities. The scheme provides a dedicated entrance to the new unit, which will open onto a waiting room, meet and greet area and staff hub. Birthing rooms and clinical areas will be situated more privately towards the rear of the unit. Artwork, mood lighting and personal storage spaces will be implemented throughout to create a homely atmosphere for mothers and their families.
Urgent Care
Greater Manchester
Tameside General Hospital
The completed Urgent Care Department at Tameside Hospital offers a fully integrated, 24 hour service designed to provide fast, efficient treatment for patients requiring non life threatening emergency care. The facility brings together both GP led services and minors treatment within a single, modern environment, ensuring that patients can be directed quickly to the most appropriate level of care.
The new department features five dedicated GP consultation rooms, enabling timely assessment and treatment for patients whose conditions are better managed by a general practitioner rather than the Emergency Department. Alongside this, five fully equipped minors bays support the treatment of injuries and conditions such as sprains, minor fractures, cuts, burns and other urgent but less severe presentations.
A comfortable waiting area with capacity for up to 30 people helps manage patient flow during peak times, while a range of shared preparation and storage areas enhances staff efficiency and coordination. Additional office and support facilities enable clinical and administrative teams to work seamlessly, improving communication and reducing delays in patient care.
Rochdale Masterplan
Greater Manchester
Rochdale Infirmary
This project analysed the hospital’s current healthcare provision with a full options appraisal. In collaboration with key stakeholders, we aim to create a long term masterplan that will better support health and social care across Rochdale and the wider area, contribute more positively to the local community and release land for new housing and growth investment. The masterplan will support fundamental service redesign, incorporating acute services, primary care and step up/step down facilities on one site.
As part of our work at this retirement village, we have designed a new care hub to deliver more public, social and health spaces and a ground breaking model of residential care. A café is housed within a distinctive octagonal glazed pavilion linked to a more traditional form of building with therapy and consulting rooms. To the rear lies the residential care element, designed as two households of 15 rooms each clustered around an open kitchen, eating and living space with an outdoor terrace and wide veranda.
“We are proud to help deliver the Trust’s unique vision, designing the next generation of facilities and homes for Whiteley Village that are fit for the next 100 years, knowing they will make a real difference to the quality of life of the residents.”
Irene Craik, Director
Whiteley Village Care Hub
Weybridge
Whiteley Village Trust Investments
Maurice & Vivienne Wohl Campus
Barnet, London
Jewish Care
This scheme provides an integrated complex for Jewish Care, bringing together a day centre; residential care home for dementia sufferers; extra care home for Holocaust survivors and offices for the charity, all arranged around a high quality landscape courtyard. This works to unify all of the different elements and provide a sociable focal point. The landscape team also extensively researched dementia to create a private and peaceful space especially for these residents, featuring a variety of stimulating sensory planting.
“The secret to the success of this complex building was getting the diagram right from the very beginning, putting the right uses in the right places, and then unifying them with the beautiful courtyard.”
Irene Craik, Director
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