Oriel Case Study

Oriel London, UK Client: Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL Institute of

Oriel is a new home for the Moorfields Eye Hospital, UCL

Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity

Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity.

Size: 46,000m2

The project takes a radical approach to the integration of

Completion Date: 2026

sight related care, research and education, in order to drive

Sustainability: BREEAM Excellent Awards: ‘Future Project’, World Architecture Festival Awards

innovation and speed up the translation of research findings into treatment.

- Winner, 2022

Enabling a seamless collaboration between clinicians,

‘WAFX’, World Architecture Festival Awards -

patients and researchers, the building will provide a flexible

Winner, 2022

and adaptable armature to facilitate future evolution

‘Future Healthcare Design’, European Healthcare

in clinical care and research practice, and strengthen

Design Awards - Highly Commended, 2022

both Moorfields’ position as a world-leading eye hospital and reinforce the Institute’s capacity to deliver globally-

RELEVANCE TO IMPERIAL

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Radical approach to the integration of healthcare, research and education facility in the heart of the city.

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Complex planning context in conservation area in central London

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Flexible and adapable building to cater for future changes in clinical delivery and research needs.

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Creation of a new public realm and civic presence for Oriel.

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Similarity to CXH/HH 2

networked cutting-edge research.

The design is centred on people, creating the best possible patient and user experience.

Oriel

Collaboration at its heart Three concepts underpin the design: nj A new public realm that welcomes everyone into the heart of the building and reinforces Oriel’s civic presence and sense of place. nj A place of collaboration, facilitating chance encounters and serendipitous ‘water cooler’ moments. nj A building that provides flexibility adaptive to shifting and disruptive technologies that will change the nature of education, research and healthcare in the future.

Oriel

A new urban place with an

facilities, such as education, café,

while the light colour, curtain

activated public realm

exhibition, and support services.

walling and articulation offsets

Rising up through the atrium is

this contemporary insertion in the

the ‘oriel’, a stack of multi-level

historic context.

Oriel is located within the Kings Cross/St Pancras Conservation Area, a sensitive and fine-grained neighbourhood undergoing rapid change. The surrounding emerging Knowledge Quarter includes medical, educational and knowledge-based institutions and industries.

platforms and semi-enclosed spaces that form the spatial embodiment of the building’s integration and interaction. Embracing the atrium are two boomerang-shaped wings containing the main functional content: education, research and

Mediating between the lush green

clinical spaces, blended vertically

of St Pancras Gardens to the south

in such a way to maximise cross-

and the new large urban blocks to

disciplinary collaboration.

the north, Oriel creates a new urban place in the heart of St Pancras and opens up routes through and across the site.

The materiality and composition of the façade both reflects and contrasts with the site context bronzed aluminium fins and louvres,

At the heart of Oriel is the atrium.

and ceramic tiles, articulated with

This tall, naturally day lit space

undulating ribbing, reflect the colour

forms a new living room for the

of the adjacent Victorian brickwork

city and contains the public facing

and the traditional faience detailing,

Internally, the atrium and Oriel are inspired by light, modern and transparent design. Working closely with White Arkitekter, we developed a palette of natural materials, internal planting and good acoustics to create a high quality and sophisticated interior promoting Oriel’s civic mission while contributing to the health and wellbeing of the building users.

Oriel

A sustainable, flexible future Oriel has been designed to circular economy principles as an adaptive and flexible building; future-proof to meet changing clinical and research needs, and even wholebuilding programme changes.

The building has been designed in two parts. The shell and core, comprising structure, façade, cores and buildingwide MEP strategies, and the internal fit out, comprising departmental layouts, internal finishes and departmentspecific MEP. Key components of this approach comprise the structural frame (flat concrete slab), carefully considered structural grid and optimised floor-to-floor heights.

The principles of ‘be lean, be clean, be green’ are embodied in the sustainable design of the building. As a 100% electric building, it will become increasingly carbon neutral as the grid de-carbonises.

“The design team stood out in their highly developed awareness of the importance of the evolving nature of medical science and technology, how this might inform the form and function of the new building, and how this might affect the people who will use it.”

— COMPETITION JURY