Finchley Memorial Hospital

The existing hospital in Finchley needed to be replaced to provide the local area with a prominent, contemporary and adaptable Community Hospital. The brief included diagnostic, physiotherapy and other outpatient services as well as neurological in-patient bedrooms.

This project is important for the following reasons:

• It continues to provide essential primary care services as well as recreational and sport facilities for the local community of Finchley.
• It provides flexible clinical spaces, to accommodate a variety of clinical needs as well as provision for future change.
• It retains its status as a memorial hospital.

As the project developed, a strong narrative for health, wellbeing, and fitness, became important to the external design. This was due to the successful London Olympic bid for 2012 and the Local Authority’s desire to utilise the available surrounding land to promote local access to sports facilities.

The existing hospital provided clinical services in a dated and inflexible environment.

Our designs provide solutions that enable flexible spaces that can be deployed in different configurations depending on the requirement.

As a modern facility, the scheme enhances the sense of community, not just as a new hospital, but as a campus for wellbeing and healthy living.

Through collaborative stakeholder engagement, undertaken throughout the design process, the project had a number of positive outcomes including: 

• Future flexibility for clinical spaces through standardised room solutions.
• Clusters of clinical rooms which can be accessed incrementally, allowing for scalable use out of hours, depending on the demand.
• The adjacent physiotherapy garden provides an outside treatment area for patient rehabilitation.
• It retains its status as a memorial hospital, supported by an arts programme, including photography and audio archives, commissioned artwork, and a time capsule, all coordinated by an Arts Consultant.
• Implementation of sports and well-being through engagement with Sport England, providing three football pitches, an urban gym, a multi-use games area, and a running route.