Dulverton Doctors' Surgery, Somerset (completed - 2008)

A narrow sloping wooded site was the prime generator of an unusual plan form. The building is sculptural in its form; it has a curved aerofoil style roof separated from the wall elements by glass.

The waiting area and reception are positioned on the Eastern side to admit morning light. An atrium brings daylight into the centre of the plan with ‘petal’ shaped sunlight attenuators. The medical rooms and dental suites are all on the Western side utilising a staggered wall device which admits daylight, provides framed southerly views but denies sideways view into the neighbouring buildings. This device also provides privacy to the surgeries’ occupants without the need for window treatment.

The building is timber framed with lime rendered walls and the roof is finished in a recyclable TPE single ply membrane with patinated copper soffits.  Local construction techniques and natural material finishes have been incorporated throughout such as  Devon stone walling, slate and flax flooring, lime and plaster renders and hardwood casement windows.  The material choices, combined with a ground source heat pump providing 100% of the heat load, makes the new building an exemplar of sustainable construction.

A pond surrounding the front and Western side is intended to impart a feeling of tranquility and calm to its setting and its visitors.

Cost: £1.3m
Size: 600m²
Client / Developer: Dulverton Group Practice & Somerset PCT