The first round of restoration works at the grade I listed Finsbury Health Centre in Clerkenwell, London have been successfully completed, as NHS Property Services looks to remove the landmark building from Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register.
A total of £1.5m is set to be injected into the building, with £1.4m coming from NHSPS and the residual £100k from the Community Infrastructure Levy at Islington Council.
NHSPS commissioned Avanti Architects while also collaborating with health service colleagues at North Central London Integrated Care System to kickstart the remedial works earlier this year. Following a full heritage assessment, the first phase has come to an end, with the work being conducted in as sympathetic manner as possible to maintain the building’s historic significance.
Rich history
The building was originally designed in 1935 by Berthold Lubetkin, a Georgian-British architect famed for pioneering modernist architecture just before WWII. It originally opened to patients in 1938 and was subject to partial restoration efforts in the 1990s but required further works due to water damage.
In 2021, a waterproof membrane was applied to the building while the recently completed works featured:
- repairs to the façades;
- replacement windows;
- curtain walling and tiling in the building’s clinical wing;
- replacement of heavily damaged glass blockwork screen; and
- render/concrete repairs.
Finsbury Health Centre currently sits on the Historic England Heritage at Risk register, but with these latest two rounds of works now completed, NHSPS is liaising with the organisation to downgrade its risk rating. NHSPS hopes to remove the building from the at risk programme entirely in the future.
Key milestone
“Following on from the roof works in 2021, the initial phase of façade , replacement at Finsbury Health Centre is now complete,” said Belinda Cameron, senior capital manager for London at NHSPS. “This marks a key milestone in the restoration of the health centre and will ensure that this seminal building is preserved for future generations.”
She added: “This phase of the programme has addressed the water ingress around the windows at two elevations at both the front and rear of the building.
“We understand that Finsbury Health Centre has a deep connection to the local community, and we have worked closely with the ICS and building occupiers to ensure that there has been minimal impact on patient services throughout the project.”
Avanti Architects described completing the recent works as a “special privilege”. The architectural team sourced material that maintained the building’s aesthetic.
Once the project is complete, NHSPS says the building will be better for both patients and staff.
Image credit: NHS Property Services
