The Glasgow city centre facility, which opened to the public at the end of January, consolidates a number of local GP, social care and dental practices within a single, sustainable and fully accessible building.

Appointed by hub West Scotland, BakerHicks provided the civil and structural design of the new £17 million building, which incorporates a steel framed structure with composite floor slabs.

Working closely with JM Architects, BakerHicks’ knowledge and expertise were also used to influence the floor layout proposals to achieve the most structurally-efficient and cost-effective design possible. This minimised the tonnage of steelwork and concrete required, as well as reducing the volume of material needing to be taken off site, helping meet sustainability targets and avoiding costly landfill charges.

BakerHicks modelled the structure in a 3D BIM environment, enabling a greater level of cross-discipline coordination with the architects and mechanical and electrical engineers. This ensured a fully integrated design prior to construction work starting, reducing site queries and helping mitigate potential delays.

The company also designed Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) to provide treatment to contaminants in surface water run-off prior to discharge to the sewer. Sub-consultants from BakerHicks’ supply chain, including Kaya Consulting (Flood Risk) and Mason Evans (Ground Investigation), were engaged to provide strategic services where required.

Andy Gotts, director for civil & structural engineering at BakerHicks, said: “This architecturally impressive building is the second of five new facilities we’re involved in that mark a step-change in local health and care provision in Scotland. We’re proud to be delivering civil and structural engineering services across these, with each providing unique design challenges.

“A local community project such as this requires co-operative engagement with the stakeholders. We worked closely with the wider design team, hub West Scotland, NHS Great Glasgow & Clyde and Glasgow City Council to ensure the project met their aspirations within budget.”

David Williams, chief officer for Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, added: “The opening of this multi-million pound facility is a major boost for the area. Everyone involved has worked hard to deliver this new centre which will greatly enhance the quality of healthcare and support available to the local community.”

The new facility will deliver primary and community care, as well as introducing a range of specialist services including children and families’ social work, alcohol and drug recovery, and children’s services.

It follows on from the award-winning reference design project, Eastwood Health and Care Centre, which was completed in 2017. Work on three further centres is currently under way, with Woodside Health and Care Centre in the North of Glasgow being close to completion; construction underway at Greenock Health and Care Centre; and Clydebank Health and Care Centre at the detailed design stage.