London- and Norwich-based LSI Architects has completed a new facility in South Kensington for independent healthcare provider Memorial Houston Medical. The high-ambition, high-quality project was set on a tight site where every millimetre mattered, creating an environment that feels less like a hospital and more like a five-star hotel.
Memorial Houston Medical provide world-class inpatient, post-surgical care with a focus on physical and emotional healing of patients. This latest location is home to its first centre in the UK and has been designed to create a healing environment, supporting recovery through spaces that feel considered and restorative.
Formerly a flagship jewellery store built in 1996 for Theo Fennell, the project presented a rare and exciting opportunity to repurpose this retail building into a bespoke medical facility on a prominent intersection in one of London’s most famous boroughs. The new hospital has capacity for six inpatients, supported by dedicated rehabilitation treatment rooms and a physiotherapy area.
Building on LSI Architects’ experience in healthcare, the project presented a number of technical and design challenges in order to bring the building up to healthcare standards whilst retaining as much of the building’s original character. The practice delivered an extensive retrofit and refurbishment of the building to provide new state-of-the-art facilities, whilst meeting the strict safety and technical requirements of a healthcare building.
The creation of a new stair and lift core allows patients in beds to be moved between floors with dignity and comfort, and to be evacuated safely in the event of a fire. Collaboration with the fire engineer to ensure the building was safe for patients and staff was essential throughout the design and construction phases.
An existing turret has been cleverly repurposed to house the significant plant required in a healthcare facility, prioritising provision of space for patients, visitors and staff on the floors below. Essential fabric upgrades were also made with the replacement of existing windows and the barrel-vaulted roof.
The existing main entrance and jewellery store to the front of the building was retained and transformed into the new main reception and waiting area.
With the curved elevation and ornate detailing to the stonework and openings, this has created a striking point of arrival to the setting. As they enter, guests are welcomed into a high-quality reception area with statement artwork featuring a blessing of wellness in Latin, Hebrew and Arabic. Terrazzo flooring includes a brass inlaid motif, with bespoke furniture and a contemporary blown-glass chandelier. A secondary discreet entrance off Pond Place connects directly to the staircase and lift for patients arriving by bed.
At ground floor, beyond reception, the centre includes three treatment rooms and support spaces to offer urgent care for minor injuries and referrals to other facilities for diagnostics.
The first floor provides a central nurse base and support spaces serving three inpatient bedrooms, including one equipped to support an enhanced level of care. This is replicated at second floor, which provides three further inpatient bedrooms.
A key focus was ensuring that bedroom suites are flexible, generous in size and filled with natural daylight. Patients can also welcome family and friends within the rooms, with dedicated lounge areas to offer a comfortable environment for visitors, including a banquette seat that can double as a bed to provide for overnight stay.
The barrel-vaulted wellness room on the third floor opens out to an external terrace, offering patients and families further space and views out across Kensington and Chelsea, connecting people to the outside to support their recovery and wellbeing.
Stretching across the length of the wellness room’s ceiling is a gilded map of the City of London by London artist Ewan David Eason. Complete with a golden River Thames, the artwork is the largest-scale map of London in the UK.
The ‘look and feel’ for the facility was developed in collaboration with interior designer Benjamin Johnston. The successful combination of Johnston’s experience of high-end residential interiors and LSI Architects’ intimate knowledge of healthcare requirements has delivered a building that achieves the necessary balance between luxury, comfort and clinical capability.
The beautiful interiors have a key focus on materiality. The bedrooms each feature high-quality bespoke walnut timber joinery and Iberian linen vinyl wallpaper. The en-suite bathrooms feature Calcutta porcelain wall tiles and floor mosaics, completed with wall-mounted white ceramic fittings with brushed gold and satin brass accessories.
