July 16 2020

NHS Highland together with Oberlanders Architects are spearheading amended plans for an elective care centre at Inverness Campus.

First conceived as part of a larger facility containing a business incubator and health innovation facility these elements will now all be delivered as separate buildings, demanding a number of necessary alterations.

Located close to the golden bridge over the A9 to Raigmore Hospital the project bookends an active travel link between both facilities and includes the potential for future expansion via a second healthcare facility on an adjacent plot.

Conceived in the round with no front or back the 'Y'-plan build is designed to draw the eye to a central 'hub', with each gable decorated with sculptural fins to build presence. This approach will also allow for natural separation of theatre and oupatient facilities on individual 'spokes'. In a statement, Oberlanders wrote: "

Developing a base or plinth has enabled the proportion of the building to be controlled. A number of options have been developed to look at the extent of this and the conclusion is that the plinth is most effective when focused at the centre of the ‘Y’. This allows the cladding to extend to the ground at the gables where it ‘book-ends’ the plinth.

"Using an elegant and appropriate colour palette, initially inspired by the golden bridge, but adjusted to a dark bronze with a matching, lighter, variant has enabled us to give the building a distinctive and yet contextual feel."

The project team includes Balfour Beatty, Hulley Kirkwood and Mott MacDonald. 

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