The Friends Centre, Brixham
MTA Chartered Architects have worked closely with Brixham League of Friends, Brixham Does Care and Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust to develop the design and layout for a new day care centre on the Brixham Hospital site called The Friends Centre.
The new centre is single storey to allow inclusive access throughout the plan and provide ease of movement to all facilities. The centre of the plan would allow management of all the entrances; main activities room, quiet spaces and garden terrace as well as monitoring the use of secondary activity areas such as therapies room, consulting rooms and washroom facilities.
To signify the importance of the central space and provide a focal point to the building the space’s circular form is extruded beyond the height of the adjoining roofs and is top-lit with a series of clerestory windows which will naturally light the heart of the plan. In addition axial walls extend from the centre of the plan out beyond the building envelope that provide enclosure to the external garden space and visually connect the building to the original hospital. The prominent use of red facing brick continues the material theme of the original hospital frontage.
