Working with developers Laing O’Rourke, and consultants AE Robb and WSP, P+HS Architects has announced the start of work on site to deliver an £8.9 million primary care centre in Washington, Tyne and Wear, as part of the NHS ProCure21 programme.
Resulting from strategic proposals to provide four primary care centres facilitated by Sunderland Primary Care Trust, the Washington Primary Care Centre is the third primary care centre to be developed within the Sunderland area. The first of these centres, already delivered, is Grindon Lane, also designed by P+HS Architects.
When completed the new centre will provide approximately 2,400 m2 of accommodation over two floors providing services that include diagnostic tests, such as ultrasound and X-ray, planned care for people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, and community renal dialysis with 15 treatment beds for patients.
A series of detailed public consultation events was completed by the PCT to determine service requirements and specific design issues that were to be addressed by P+HS, including toilets and fully accessible adult change facilities. However, the overriding design aspiration was for the new building to be fully accessible and non-clinical in terms of layout, materials and environment. This was ultimately achieved for the project through the careful selection of materials, colours, textures and abundant use of natural lighting and ventilation throughout the building. Glass artist Bridget Jones has also been appointed by the PCT, with the assistance of the Arts Council, to work with P+HS to develop works and installations that are fully integrated into the building fabric.
Seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of the new facility, various low energy systems have also been incorporated into the design, including roof mounted “wind catchers” to facilitate the natural ventilation of the building and roof mounted solar pre-heating panels linked to the domestic hot water system.
