© Murphy Philipps 2025
London Borough of Merton
Approx. 5600 sqm
Nelson Health Centre was designed and built under the Better Healthcare Closer to Home (BHCH) programme, which aims to radically reshape and modernise health services in Sutton and Merton. The programme has six key delivery objectives:
The Nelson Health Centre delivers, through location and thoughtful design, the response to the BHCH objectives. It provides a modern purpose-built facility that supports the delivery of integrated health and social services enabling people to be treated locally, wherever possible.
The Nelson Health Centre makes a significant contribution to the regeneration of the local area, repairing the urban grain and enhancing the civic space along the street frontage. The scheme incorporates state-of-the-art clinical accommodation within a flexible and therapeutic environment, enriching the patient experience and optimising staff efficiency.
The original, locally-listed, facades of the Nelson Hospital pavilions have been retained, incorporated in the new elevation and given greater prominence along Kingston Road. The articulation, rhythm and scale of the original pavilions, informed the new elevations. The external materials include coloured, glazed, ceramic bricks in keeping with the local context. These can be found in period properties on neighbouring streets.
The building has been designed to support integrated services such as the one-stop-shop for elderly patients. The design of the internal spaces has been developed in accordance with the principles of evidence-based design such as the integration of colour and artwork.
There is a continuous relationship between inside and outside which is most evident along the patient routes. Positive distractions are provided by pause points adjacent to lightwells giving views outside to familiar local landmarks.
The internal layouts were designed to easily accommodate various clinic sizes without the need to make any physical changes to the building. Soon after opening, the two GP practices merged as a result of increased efficiency supported by the internal layouts.
The building achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating and has a number of key sustainability features including a grey water system. Water usage in healthcare buildings is high, and the design addressed this by re-using water from showers and washbasins for toilet flushing, etc.
