Published on: 21 November 2006
One of the world’s top architecture firms is working on its first health centre – in Tower Hamlets.
Herzog and du Meuron, who have designed award winning buildings across the world, is working on a new health centre as part of the Ryan’s Yard development at St Paul’s Way, E3.
The Swiss-based architects were responsible for turning Bankside power station into the Tate Modern, designed the Allianz Arena football stadium for Bayern Munich and this year’s World Cup, and the Beijing National Stadium which is being built for the 2008 Olympics.
The £14 million Ryan’s Yard development has been given planning permission by the council and is being led by the Poplar HARCA housing association. The project will include two residential towers with 36 new homes, as well as the health centre, all built on the site of an old scaffolding yard.
The health centre will be over two floors of the building and offer services seven days a week.
The centre will have a pharmacy with robotic dispensing equipment. This means that pharmacists will be able to provide advice to local people, while the machine puts the medicines together and prepares prescriptions.
As well as care from pharmacists, GPs and practice nurses there will be blood tests, physiotherapy and dental care with five dental chairs. The centre will include ten consulting rooms, examination and interview rooms. There will be open plan areas for health education and rooms that can be used for group consultations. All rooms will be multi-functional and will provide accommodation for community organisations and agencies such as advice services.
Andrew Ridley, Director of Primary and Community Care Commissioning, said, “The centre will aim to provide a health as well as an illness service, where every interaction with a patient becomes an opportunity to improve their long-term health.
“It will also provide much needed employment opportunities within the NHS for local people. That will include close links and work experience opportunities for students at local schools.”
The centre will provide health care and advice for 15 to 20,000 people and is set to open in 2008.
The role of Poplar HARCA (Housing and Regeneration Community Association) is to help bring about the regeneration of the Poplar area. Poplar HARCA currently owns 6,382 homes across eight estates.
