Tasked with developing a new veterinary hospital on a plot occupied by a vacant former police station in Penwortham, Preston.

The premises provides consulting rooms, theatre areas, animal housing including general administration, a conference room and overnight accommodation to support out of hours staffing.

The new premises will provide better customer access, improved services and facilities for the pet owning client. The design incorporates extra diagnostic, theatre and inpatient facilities to better accommodate patients and attend to their needs in a streamlined manner.

Due to the location of the development, the surrounding environment was carefully appraised. The site layout and facilities respond sensitively to existing residential buildings and surrounding spaces.

The building’s form considers the site boundary and constraints and sympathetically responds to the streetscape by reflecting the scale and arrangement of adjacent properties and building line. While used in a contemporary way, the materials specified acknowledge the context and reflect those often found on domestic properties including slate roofs, rendered walls, and aluminium windows.