Westminster City Council is poised to give the green light to plans for a new outpatient building at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.
Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios; the eight-storey building will bring together services currently spread across 40 different locations and will include associated works regarding access, servicing and patient drop-off facilities.
It will replace the existing Salton House, Dumbell and Victoria and Albert buildings on the eastern side of the hospital estate and, using best practice in design and technology, will enhance the patient and staff experience, as well as provide flexibility for future changes in service provision.
The building is at a prominent location on Praed Street and will become a recognisable cornerstone marking the entrance to St Mary’s Campus from the east.
Designed to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience, the building will serve around half a million patients a year, allowing the hospital to meet the demands of a diverse and growing population.
The design aims to activate the ground-floor space with a central courtyard opening onto the adjacent streets.
Hospital-related retail and café areas and strategically-positioned circulation cores will also contribute to the integration of the building with the surrounding streets.
And a central atrium, carved out of the heart of the building, will offer daylight and orientation at all levels.
Sculpted glazed ceramic panels will be used on the external elevations to give the building a defined identity, reflecting light in a narrow streetscape and creating an element of continuity with the surrounding context.
The design has been developed on the understanding that it will be the first part of a wider masterplan, which will ensure that St Mary’s Hospital can continue to successfully operate as the major acute hospital for north west London.
Michele Wheeler, director of redevelopment at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: “This new development is vital to help us meet the changing needs of our patients and will allow us to provide the very-best care by taking advantage of the latest medical technologies and practices.
“It will also make visiting outpatients a more-convenient and welcoming experience as we replace ageing buildings that are inefficient and costly to maintain.”
Sara Gohmann, partner Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, added: “This has been a key project for the practice in the healthcare sector.
“It is a carefully-designed building that will substantially upgrade St Mary’s outpatients facilities and create a new carefully-crafted addition to the surrounding neighbourhood.”
