In recognition of their outstanding contribution in designing the magnificent Bandon Primary Care Centre / Library Building, Avanti Architects have been shortlisted for the prestigious Health Project of the Year Award at the Irish Construction Industry Awards 2021. Building Ireland headed to Avanti’s head office in Kinsale, County Cork and touched base with Regional Director Ronan Conneely to find out more.
Committed to creating socially sustainable and joyful buildings, places and spaces, Avanti Architects is an award-winning practice which has for four decades delivered an open and progressive design approach to projects large and small across Ireland and the UK.
Established in 1981, Avanti has brought its considerable expertise, creativity and practicality to bear on a wide range of private and public sector projects, invariably earning the approval and confidence of clients, fostering long-lasting relationships resulting in a steady flow of repeat business going back a quarter of a century in many cases.
As Avanti are no strangers to winning awards at prestigious ceremonies the length and breadth of Ireland and the UK – and, indeed, are previous winners at the Irish Construction Industry Awards – it was no surprise to see Bandon Primary Care Centre / Library Building shortlisted in the Healthcare Project of the Year category at 2021 awards showcase.
Bandon Primary Care Centre, completed in April 2021 for Farrahar Ltd. on behalf of the Health Service Executive and Cork County Council Library Services, is a new 4,148 square metre facility located in the heart of Bandon town. The stunning building is home to primary care services including GP practices, public health nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapy services, dietetics, speech and language therapy, podiatry, psychology, dental, ophthalmology, immunisation, mental health services and a series of bookable rooms for additional services. The ground floor of the mixed-used centre also contains a new public library for Bandon along with retail units.
The design team led by Avanti Architects brought their wealth of experience from the design and development of multiple primary care facilities throughout Ireland, Scotland and England to bear on this €10m project. The provision of properly designed and integrated spaces for service users and staff was seen as an essential tool to assimilate the centre into the community, providing a truly therapeutic environment and creating a pleasant place to work.
In the design and execution of Bandon PCC, every detail was carefully considered in terms of durability, H&S, security, lifecycle, therapeutic impact, aesthetics and cost. Several bespoke elements were specifically created for this project, following extensive research and evidence-based design. From bespoke windows that allow for night purge ventilation without impacting on security to a specially designed wound management sink, this represents a new blueprint for future primary care centres.
Although it is nothing new to the practice, Regional Director Ronan Conneely is delighted that an Avanti Architects designed project has once more captured the attention of the judges at the Irish Construction Industry Awards: “We find them to be very prestigious awards due to the fact that they cover the whole wider construction industry. They are not just for architects but include the wider construction industry – including contractors, subcontractors, consultants, engineers and project managers – so they cover a wide scope and are good for recognising the team approach.
“Architects probably do tend to go more for architectural awards but ultimately construction is a collaborative industry and is all about working as part of a team. Our submission is on behalf of the wider project team – not just ourselves but everybody who was involved in the project [MMD Construction was main contractor while M&E and consulting engineering services were provided by Malachy Walsh & Partners Consulting Engineers].
“This project introduces a lot of very interesting elements into a new townscape. Combining a new primary care centre, public library and retail spaces, it is the first major public building to be built in Bandon – in the very heart of the town – in a long time. As well as bringing together so many different disciplines in one building, the brief was an interesting one not least because of the important role the building will play in the town.”
The design responds to the brief and the wider community by creating a new civic hub which sits at the heart of Bandon and serves as a catalyst for ongoing and future urban regeneration. The site strategy seeks to create a high quality ‘arrival square’ around which the new centre is wrapped. This ‘arrival square’ (currently being developed by Cork County Council as part of the public realm upgrades) is formed at the junction of St Patricks Place and Market Street and the processional axis from St Patricks Church, providing space for orientation and sense of arrival into the town from West Cork.
Meanwhile, the folded ‘figure of 8’ geometry of the centre creates two courtyards connected with a circulation spine / ‘internal street’ at the centre. The courtyards serve not only to provide natural light and ventilation but also support the creation of a therapeutic environment essential for this building typology. The circulation spine at the centre of the building contains departmental receptions and information desks, waiting areas and a lift and staircase core.
The façade materials were selected to provide a robust façade with a sense of civic pride. The definition of window ‘slots’ with solid panels between windows derives from consideration of flexibility and is conceived as a modular approach. Fixed solid panels are used to define the structural grid and the services ‘grid’ on the elevation, thus providing a ‘fix’ for structure and services within the elevational treatment.
The striking use of red brick for the development is in line with the historic use of brick for important public and civic buildings within Bandon town centre. Furthermore, as a self-finished material, brick will weather over time in a consistent manner. Louvered covered opening lights provide security whilst maximising ventilation.
“For the fabric of the building, we worked with Cork County Council during the pre-planning stage as it is a major building and we were creating a new town space and civic spaces in Bandon, so it was crucial to carefully consider how the building would interact with the actual space of the town and its surroundings,” says Ronan.
The three-storey development was designed to be constructed in contemporary idiom, employing sustainable materials and components that express a sense of permanence and quality. The crafted brickwork is one of the many outstanding features of Bandon PCC, adding detail, depth, scale and shade to the beautiful, strong façade of the building. “Brick looks natural, weathers well and stands out from the render around it. Creating civic buildings in towns doesn’t happen much these days and it’s important to embrace collaboration and craft. We wanted to explore how brick can be used to maximise its impact, creating detail and definition.”
The design team worked closely with the contractor and their subcontractors to develop a series of bespoke details that marry traditional craft and technology to deliver the wide range of crafted brick details. Within the brick ordering grid of the elevations, the bays were infilled with a mixture of glazed openings and corduroy brick. The vertical brick / corduroy elements enrichen vertical emphasis and add texture and shadow to elevations. Along the northern elevation, a blue-black brick was used to assist in breaking down the scale. The blue-black brick was used in a variety of bonds and configurations depending on the background condition.
The local reaction to the all-new Bandon PCC has been extremely encouraging. “It has been a huge success within the town and is attracting a great deal of positive feedback,” Ronan confirms. “The clients are delighted to have a modern facility to serve the population. Everybody is pleased with the outcome. We worked with the conservation office and planning department of Cork County Council to create a building that is modern yet blends in with the existing townscape. It’s a major change in the townscape and a successful one, designed to be compact in terms of scope and energy efficiency.”
A compact building form improves energy efficiency. Sustainability is always a key consideration and the compact form of the building has been exploited to assist in meeting the new building regulation requirements for reductions in CO2 emissions and energy consumption. The compact plan is also more economic to construct than a more dispersed or articulated building form. The centre also occupies a relatively small square footprint, reducing foundation costs.
Healthcare is one of the many sectors in which Avanti Architects boasts an excellent track record and they are currently working on designing a new medical school and paediatric department at Cork University Hospital as well as multiple projects upgrading mental health units nationwide.
With offices in Cork and London, Avanti Architects are serial winners a myriad awards ceremonies and they are currently on a roll… In November, they won the prestigious Docomomo International Rehabilitation Award 2021 in the Conservation Through Activism category for their “outstanding renovation” of the Isokon Building and Isokon Gallery in Campden – the only UK winner in a distinguished field that included Sydney Opera House (architect Jørn Utzon), a cluster of significant Modern buildings by Mies van de Rohe, Le Corbusier’s Parisian apartment and the Bauhaus, Dessau by Walter Gropius.
Avanti Architects,
7 Pearse Street,
Kinsale,
County Cork.
Tel: 021 4709386
Mobile: 087 1357370
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, March 2022, Vol 8 No 3
