Wye Valley Community Diagnostic and Treatment Centre

Part of the national initiative to boost NHS diagnostic capacity close to people’s homes, the Wye Valley Community Diagnostic and Treatment Centre is designed to provide a reassuring environment for imaging and testing. Open 7 days a week, the facility is easily accessible, enabling routine diagnostics to take place away from the local county hospital in a welcoming environment. The building has been designed sustainably with collaborators Architype to meet the specific technical, and safety requirements of a modern diagnostic facility, whilst supporting a positive patient experience.

Attending a diagnostic centre can be a daunting and uncomfortable experience. As a result, the building’s internal spaces have been designed to provide a calming and reassuring environment.

The double-height entrance and waiting foyer welcomes visitors into a central space that acts as an internal landmark akin to a town square, supporting straightforward and intuitive navigation through the building. A bespoke interior design and wayfinding strategy employs distinctive colours and graphic iconography to identify different space types. This approach improves legibility and accessibility for a broad range of users. By removing unnecessary visual clutter the interior spaces become more familiar, and less institutional in their character.

The clinical spaces vary from highly-tailored specialist facilities, to more flexible spaces which can accommodate a wide range of more general clinical activities. Careful attention has been paid to their design, ensuring that they support ergonomic working conditions, as well as patient comfort and dignity. For example, dedicated changing facilities are located adjacently to the imaging rooms, providing convenient access and maintaining privacy.

Spaces for patients to consult with clinicians are provided on the first floor alongside the staff welfare, changing and rest facilities, where generous views and natural daylight promote wellbeing. Enjoying a dual aspect, the staff rest provides a large, comfortable space where staff can step away from their busy working environment and regroup.

Externally, a black standing-seam metal cladding provides a contemporary interpretation of the local industrial context, whilst creating a distinct identity which aids navigation to the site. As visitors approach, softer timber details become apparent within the outside canopy. Vertical timber cladding elements frame the main entrance providing a clear destination.

The BREEAM Excellent building is underpinned by Passivhaus principles to reduce energy demand, lower operational costs and provide a comfortable internal environment. This includes employing a fabric first approach which prioritises thermally efficient walls, floors and roof, with robust detailing and airtightness. Embodied carbon has been minimised using a prefabricated structural timber frame combined with precast concrete floor plates, reducing material use and construction waste.