Hopkins Architects and ISG have been selected as the winning teams in a national design competition managed by RIBA Competitions for the re-cladding of a 13-storey tower building on the St Thomas’ Hospital site in central London.
The competition process for finding a new design team was managed by RIBA Competitions, which launched the search earlier this year on behalf of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. RIBA Competitions sought teams with the capacity and imagination to design and deliver a scheme that would enhance the Trust’s reputation for healthcare provision and its landmark status in London.
Cathy Ditchfield, Director for RIBA Competitions, said: “We were initially approached by Guy’s and St Thomas’ in March to help them find an architect for the project. We offer our clients a bespoke service and access to high quality suppliers and have subsequently advised the Trust throughout the entire competition process.”
The competition followed a two stage process - stage one, entries were invited to express their interest and were judged by the eight strong judging panel which included RIBA adviser David Henderson, co-director of Bennetts Associates. A shortlist of six teams made it through to the final stage, during which they were invited to come up with design concepts that would provide a re-cladding solution for the building and enhance the internal environment by addressing water ingress, improve insulation and increase energy efficiency.
St Thomas’ Hospital is situated on an important conservation area in Central London, so it was important that designs were empathetic to its surroundings which include World Heritage sites, The Houses of Parliament and Lambeth Palace. The Hopkins/ISG winning design is a single skin of glass, with a timber mullion and stainless steel external pressure cap, which creates a thermal buffer zone and two new triangular atria. It is aimed that it will help to transform the image of the hospital, both externally and internally, with generous atria spaces which would enhance the experience for patients and staff.