Woodgate Valley Primary Care Centre
The development and design team worked closely with staff and service users to create a facility that would be welcoming, encourage collaborative working and offer flexibility for the future. Through a series of design workshops and consultation sessions, a building solution was developed to include GP treatment and consultation rooms on the ground floor for improved accessibility and staff offices and accommodation for South Birmingham Primary Care Trust on the first floor. In addition to GP services, the £2.3 million centre offers minor surgery, occupational and speech therapy, mental health counselling and an onsite pharmacy.
Despite being a pilot scheme for the LIFT programme, the centre was commended by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) for its exciting, colourful and non-institutional design and was recognised as an exemplar scheme for inspiring design excellence.
Healthy by design
The 1960s single-storey flat-roofed building that was demolished to make way for the new centre was typical of its era. Lacking natural light and restricted in space, it could feel claustrophobic and unwelcoming. With research showing that well designed healthcare buildings can aid recovery, BaS LIFT and its specialist design team, One Creative Environments Ltd, worked with patients, staff and clinicians to create an environment that would be welcoming and put patients at ease. The design features a glazed courtyard that draws natural light into the heart of the building, while the open plan reception area is welcoming and comfortable, breaking down barriers between staff and patients, as well as creating a collaborative environment. The imaginative, high quality design inspires pride and sense of ownership in staff, patients and the community.RELATED ITEMS:
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Size: 1408sqm -
Completed: June 2005 -
Partners: South Birmingham Primary Care Trust