Under one of many disused London railway arches, Guy and St. Thomas’ Trust opened the UK’s first 7 day-a-week, NHS sexual health clinic. The Burrell Street clinic is London’s largest, providing world-class teaching and research facilities . Similarly, they provide innovative clinical approaches to patient self-management.
The brief was to create an ‘out the box’ design. The client and architect wanted an environment that was totally different to those typical of a hospital or health clinic. The aim was to break down taboos that exist around the nature of treatment provided and promote return visits. LAPD’s commercial lighting design concept proposal needed to encompass functionality and informality.
Due to the quirky and unique location, there were structural issues with many limitations on the interior, services, and lighting. The designs needed to be appropriate to the building and environment, reflecting the edgy, contemporary art & design focus of the community. The cost-sensitive nature of the project meant that we re-used existing downlights. Similarly, any new fixtures needed to be efficient, cost effective and essential.
The distinct twin archways and double height lobby create an inviting open plan space for prospective clients. The fully glazed façade with bespoke suspended artwork promoted views into the space, while custom vinyl artwork and masking allowed privacy within the circulation space at low level. This created an informal entrance area, where track and narrow beam LED spots provided a dappled lighting effect. This was essential in stepping away from the clinical feel of a flatly lit hospital setting. Heavy restrictions prevented us mounting much into the ceiling structure beneath the railway arch. We used bespoke brackets, attached to the vertical glazing fins, to provide the solution for mounting spotlights.
The lighting varied throughout the clinic, keeping the environment dynamic when moving from one space to another.
A main corridor from the reception to the clinician’s room remained a double height space, also with limited access to the vaulted ceiling above. In this case, we specified adjustable LED downlights recessed into the vertical surface within the mezzanine floor bulkhead. Placed at varying heights, they create an indirect, undulating lit effect on the opposing wall.
Within the clinician’s room, pendants and table lights with warm colour temperature LED lamps create a relaxing and friendly atmosphere for consultations.
For the examination areas, a slightly brighter space was required to perform assessments. A custom fluorescent luminaire with a cooler colour temperature lamp created a clean and crisp environment with less shadowing from the diffused source. The room featured bespoke artwork that spanned the entire ceiling, so fittings or fixtures could not be ceiling mounted. The linear fluorescent was mounted horizontally on the wall, allowing it to light both the space and the artwork.
