Western General Hospital – Renal Unit

The site for the new Renal Unit at Edinburgh Western General Hospital is located on the main access road into the hospital complex and sits between the SHSC administration building to the east, and Ward 1 to the west.

The site itself presented a number of challenges:

• The site drops 2.5m across its width, and slopes down from north to south.
• The main access road (on the north) is busy, and whilst there is no space for patient drop off, the brief required an entrance for visitors arriving on foot, with the main entrance to be located to the south, to accommodate patients and visitors arriving by car.
• The site is located adjacent to the old Nuffield Transplantation Surgery Unit (now Ward 1) dating from 1963 and designed by Peter Womersley, an important (but often overlooked) British architect of the 20th Century. The brief required the new Renal building to physically connect to this building (and its internal circulation), facilitating access to the wider hospital.

The new building is dug into the sloping site and exploits the topography by placing treatment areas on the upper level, along with public waiting and staff areas, to exploit the views south and availability of natural light. The supporting utilitarian uses such as staff changing, storage and plant areas are located on the lower level, dug into the slope. 

The design of the building prioritises the patient experience, as patients can spend several hours a day in treatment. The upper level is arranged with treatment rooms located to the south, with views towards Edinburgh Castle. The staff base is located at the heart of these treatment areas, to maximise patient observation, with a clerestory rooflight directly above, bringing further natural light deep into the plan.

The main entrance from the south leads into a double height space, where a staircase connects to the secondary (north) entrance and waiting area on the upper level. This 2 storey circulation space provides the transition and connection between the new renal unit and the adjacent ward 1 building, allowing views through the double height space to aid natural wayfinding and orientation.