Finsbury Health Centre
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Entrance front of centre block showing ramp
Modernist health centre designed to promote well being, incorporating offices, disinfection station, lecture theatre and clinical spaces
The purpose of the building is to co-ordinate all the health services which were previously scattered over different parts of the Borough.
The plan of the building was designed to be a pair of arm, open to all visitors, creating the central entrance space and wings on either side. Offices and clinics were placed in wings, angled to allow as much daylight in as possible.
To maximise flexibility of space clinics were given moveable partition walls and all ducting placed behind panels on the building’s exterior. Soundproofing was installed between floors to reduce noise disturbance.
The design is a concrete frame structure, faced with cream-coloured frost-proof tiles. The end walls of both wings have a solid concrete wall, faced with the same tiles, that acts as a buttress, taking all horizontal stresses. Light was an important factor in the design so large windows run the length of the wings, while glass bricks make up the majority of the entrance facade.
Data
- Completed: 1938
- Sector: Healthcare
- Total cost: £62,000
- Address: Pine Street, Islington, London, EC1R 0LP, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Tecton Group
- Project architect: Berthold Lubetkin
- Client: Finsbury Borough Council, NHS
- Structural engineer: Arup