St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital renowned as a teaching hospital and is located on the opposite bank of the river Thames to the Houses of Parliament. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark. St Thomas' Hospital is one of London's most famous hospitals, associated with names such as Astley Cooper, William Cheselden, Florence Nightingale, Linda Richards, Edmund Montgomery and Agnes Elizabeth Jones.
The hospital is steeped in history and was described as ancient in 1215 and was named after St Thomas Becket — which suggests it may have been founded after 1173 when Becket was canonised. However, it is possible it was only renamed in 1173 and that it was established shortly after St Mary Overie Priory was founded at Southwark in 1106.
Pilkington United Kingdom Ltd participated in the original materials feasibility study for this project carried out by a previous architectural practice. After due consideration by the client and their professional team, the all glass solution was the preferred choice for the project, based on: overall performance, ease of maintenance and longevity.
The new Out Patients Centre is situated within the limiting confines of an quadrangle within the existing hospital complex giving the main contractor ME Construction and Pilkington Architectural Glass accredited installer Birchdale Glass Ltd extreme logistic problems. However these were overcome by teamwork and the past experience of all involved.
The project architects BJM and their facade consultants Hyder, specified Pilkington Planar™ Sun 30/17 for its superior solar control properties for this ‘all glass box’ and combined with the Planar structurally bolted glazing system with glass beams to support the glass roof and walls, reduced the steelwork to a minimum providing a truly "light fantastic" building and an aesthetically pleasing environment for patients, visitors and staff at the hospital.
The new outpatient centre in Gassiot House at St Thomas’ opened in June 2012. Features of the new clinic include:
• State of the art digital check-in screens for patients who would like to use them;
• A call forward system (which indicates to patients where they should go to see their clinician);
• A light-filled reception and waiting area with a café;
• 32 consultation rooms, a blood test area and a clinical measurement area where patients can have tests before they see a doctor.
Over half million outpatients a year will benefit from streamlined processes delivered in the best possible facilities, enabling the clinic to run more efficiently.
Specification
Pilkington Planar™ Insulated Glass Units (IGU) incorporating:
10mm Toughened Pilkington Planar™ Sun 30/17
16mm Airspace
13.52mm Pilkington Optilam™
comprising of:
6mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear
1.52 interlayer
6mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear
Supported on a combination of steelwork & pin supported laminated roof fins:
12mm Heat Strengthened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear
1.52 interlayer
12mm Heat Strengthened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear
Vertical face glass is 150m2 of:
Pilkington Planar™ Insulated Glass units (IGU) incorporating:
10mm Toughened Pilkington Planar™ Sun 30/17
16mm Airspace
6mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear
Supported on a combination of steelwork & monolithic glass fins:
15mm Toughened Pilkington Optifloat™ Clear
Photography supplied by: ME Construction and Suburbia Photography