Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed by NHS Ayrshire & Arran to provide a fitting replacement to the existing Davidson Cottage Hospital. Our brief was to create a landmark building to provide healthcare service for Girvan and its local catchment area.

The £15.2 million project was developed from the outset with the full involvement of the Client Steering Group and the Local Community. The plan for the hospital was conceived as a series of identifiable buildings unified into a cohesive whole by a curved circulation street.

The stakeholder consultation mainly involved the users. However, the community were also heavily engaged as there was a real (emotional and historical) attachment to the Davidson, the old hospital, and people were concerned about losing this from the town. 

Iain Wylie – Partner, Austin-Smith:Lord