Stourport Medical Centre Stourport, UK
The architectural approach was to provide a design that is sympathetic to its context, whilst providing a modern building that will best serve the needs of the medical staff and their patients.
The site is located on Dunley Road, adjacent to The Rough, to the south of Stourport-on-Severn town centre. To the north east of the site is the grade II listed Old Beams public house. Given the site’s location close to the Areley Kings conservation area the aim was to provide a well-designed building with a material palette that is complementary to the area.
On the street facing elevation, the gable projection breaks up the length of the building, while a timber clad bay at ground floor level adds further visual interest. A traditional pitched roof with dark red roof tiles is used with modern details. The material palette seeks to reflect the materials seen in the Areley Kings conservation area and Stourport town centre in general. A reddish-brown brick with a creamy white mortar.
The use of feature reconstituted stone window heads and cills reflects the use of feature stonework on local Georgian buildings. Contemporary timber cladding offers visual interest and complements the more traditional architectural features, while also referencing the decorative timber work on the neighbouring Old Beams public house.
The new building will provide patient centred care in a modern, purpose built environment, whilst accommodating the practice’s growing needs along with opportunity to provide a wider range of treatments and services.
Associate Director
The reception desk and stairs to the upper floors are visible from the entrance of the building, making the centre easily legible to users. The use of glazed voids allow patients to visually identify their destination on the first floor, aiding way-finding within the building.
The majority of clinical rooms are set back from the more public areas of the site, to provide privacy to patients. Generally the layout of the plan is designed to create a simple working environment for staff and patients, with particular attention being paid to patient confidentiality and legibility.
The fenestration of the building has been carefully considered. Larger areas of glazing are used to mark the entrances to the medical centre and pharmacy, while the majority of glazing is at a domestic scale, with vertically orientated windows offering a modern take on the traditional windows of the Georgian buildings in the town centre.
Overall the scheme provides a contemporary and visually attractive new medical facility using high quality materials that complement the surrounding area.
