Clinical Education Centre

A new building, housing the Departments of Podiatry and Physiotherapy and ancillary functions which is also the home of the former London Foot Hospital. Construction commenced in February 2005 with completion in April 2006.

On a limited budget, the architect attempted to produce an exemplary treatment of podiatry for patients. Issues of patient privacy were examined and the solution was a two storey space with cubicles arranged in a gentle curve. Podiatry patients access the space from the waiting area via individual doors to their respective cubicles and every patient has a view of a new proposed College Green, over which the building looks. In this way patients do not see other patients being treated and at the same time academic staff are easily able to supervise the six students in their charge. On the top floor of the podiatry section is found all semi-public facilities, such as bio-mechanics and gait analysis at which point the building steps back in plan to allow light to penetrate into existing adjacent gardens.

The building extends over the former road named “The Green” connecting to four physiotherapy laboratories on the south side, a laboratory of physiology and a sports science laboratory which has additional external accommodation on a roof terrace.

The new centre not only attempts to perform its functions well, but also tries to repair an abandoned piece of city connecting an isolated group of houses on Ferns Road with other University buildings further down the street, as well as forming one side of the new proposed College Green. This is the first of what will be a number of steps on the campus to repair not only the University but also the surrounding area.