Fort William Medical Centre

David Law was Project Architect for Fort William Medical Centre while at Young and Gault Architects LLP.

The Fort William Medical Centre brings together existing local GP practices and community clinics under one roof for the first time.

The building is layout around a central common mall area or “Hub”, from which the main activities spiral. Upon entering the building, the “Hub” becomes a main decision point for the visitor, providing direct (and visual) connections to the receptions for each of the departments/ GP practices. Waiting areas are visible from receptions for communication and security purposes. Consulting corridors radiate from each reception, while back of house administration spaces are located ‘secondary’ to the principle consulting rooms.

Careful planning of vertical and horizontal circulation routes was required to achieve the required functionality and connections for each of the different departments.

Sustainable biomass boiler feeds underfloor heating system and achieves a three-fold cost- saving over oil. Fuelled by woodchips (by-product of local forest industry), the biomass boiler has enabled greater flexibility in the Health Centre’s internal accommodation.

The Fort William Medical Centre was shortlisted in the Building Better Healthcare awards (Best Project Team & Best Primary Care Design) 2008.