AC Architects were invited to enter a limited competition for the design of the James Paget Palliative Care Centre. Dedicated to a holistic approach for the care, help and support of patients with life limiting illnesses the building and its surrounds were seen as integral to the emotional, spiritual, and practical support of its users. The plan is L-shaped, with the clinical and counselling rooms in one wing and the social and recreational spaces in the other, with the dramatic entrance space and waiting area at the hub.

The project was sensitively designed as a sustainable development and included high levels of insulation, good levels of natural light with solar shading, rainwater collection, ground source heating via slinkies in the garden area and passive ventilation. The scheme highlights the ways in which health care facilities can provide buildings in an environmentally friendly way to minimise their negative impact on the environment.”