- Architecture
- Masterplanning
- Urban Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Interior Design
- Town Planning
- Project Management
- Environmental Services
St Mary's Island
Date: 2004
Surgery & Community Centre
Client: Countryside Maritime Ltd
St Mary’s Island in Chatham’s historic dockyards is being redeveloped into a new community that will contain approximately 2,000 homes. At the heart of the development there was a need to create a central focus and meeting point to sustain the vibrant community life within the island. As a result the new neighbourhood centre forms both the physical and social heart of the island’s new community.
We wanted to create something that would not only catch the eye from miles around but would be flexible enough to support the wide variety of social activities that make up the life of the community. The neighbourhood centre is comprised of two buildings. A ‘Village Hall’ houses a hall, catering facilities, meetings rooms and offices. A Doctor’s Surgery houses three GP’s, a nurse and support staff. Although the two buildings are separate entities they appear to create a single building that wraps around a public courtyard from which both can be accessed.
The building’s form is created by a series of mono pitch roofs. Large roof planes rise to create a striking visual image when viewed from a distance. Smaller, lower roof planes fall towards the courtyard to create an intimate and secure atmosphere. Breaks between the roof planes allow natural daylight to flood into the building and provide opportunity for natural ventilation. These design concepts, combined with a highly insulated building envelope, solar water heating and photovoltaic panels, create an energy efficient, sustainable building that works for the benefit of the environment as well as the island community.