Wylie Shanks Architects - Bridgeton Health Centre, Glasgow

Client: Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust

Contract value: £1,500,000             Completed: Summer 2002

The unit provides 3 single and mixed sex wards with en-suite single rooms.  Meeting and welfare facilities for patients are located to enjoy the greenbelt views, and a further 2-storey wing accommodates staff and support services.

This specially designed admissions department gives inherent protection to both staff and patients, with anti-ligature fitments and anti-barricade doors standard throughout the unit.  Nurses’ stations enjoy a commanding central position in each ward, with natural light and open-plan desking. An access audit was carried out to the unit, whose design features the practice’s developing philosophies for healthcare buildings, including:

• Clear wayfinding for patients and staff, through non-institutional layouts.
• Choice of finishes based on colour psychology.
• Maximum use of natural light and ventilation.
• Security and comfort for all users, through integral design solutions.
• Consultation with all user groups.

The external courtyards provide patios and gardens for the day spaces, and  Strathclyde Police recently awarded ‘Secured by Design’ certification to the project.