Apollo Capital Projects have completed their 6th scheme in Wales in Rumney in Cardiff. This 23,000sq ft scheme is the largest single site practice in Wales with over 15,000 patients. Apollo have worked with Dr Gerson & Partners and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to create a hub for Primary Care in the East of Cardiff. The facility has 15 consulting rooms, 3 Registrar rooms, 3 GP Trainer rooms and 3no Treatment Rooms on the ground floor with specialist services which include podiatry, audiology, family planning, dietetics, Minor Operations, Health Visitors, District and School Nurse on the first floor. The internal layout allows for close supervision of both ground and first floor waiting areas and benefits from a feature glue laminated stair to link the 2 spaces. The folding sliding doors into the central courtyard offer an opportunity to open the entire waiting area into the courtyard to become one. This feature is unique in primary care in the UK and provides a new dimension in design providing waiting patients with views, exercise and interest. The courtyard has a 2m high Welsh Oak sculpture by local artist Brian Denman which was funded by Apollo to enhance the patient experience in the facility.

The building is also highly energy efficient achieving BREEAM Excellent and with an EPC rating of 26. It also benefits from a 26kw solar panel array on the south facing roof which could provide as much as 40% of the practices electrical needs in operation.

Rob James, Apollo’s Operations Director led the scheme from appointment through to handover and said “Working with such an enthusiastic group of people has been very fulfilling and allows us all to share in the success of this project. Apollo have listened and shaped this scheme to meet and exceed expectations throughout but overall the scheme has benefitted hugely from the teamwork ethic”.

Further articles will be published about the artwork and community engagement on this project shortly.

Last month the contractors Bermar Building took occupation of the site and got the construction works underway with a flourish. Building immediately next door to the existing Farrow Medical Centre enables the staff and patients to see first-hand the building works progress towards the planned completion next summer.

Fiona Reid the Farrow Practice Manager said “The new surgery building will provide us with space to deliver a wider range of quality healthcare services and there is real enthusiasm & excitement for the project, not just among the clinicians and our existing patients, but right across the local community.”

A building site awareness talk has recently taken place at the local Community and Children’s Centre and a site safety poster competition was launched to children aged between 5 and 13 years old. The winning posters will be displayed along the sites hoarding before Christmas.

The building includes a new pharmacy business called Farrow Pharmacy Limited which will initially commence operating from the existing surgery from next February and then relocate into their new pharmacy unit once the whole building is complete.

Melanie Leakey the Superintendent Pharmacist for Farrow Pharmacy said “We are working with Apollo and our design team to create a pharmacy fit for tomorrow. We are looking forward to liaising closely with the Farrow GPs to provide exceptional patient-focused care within the local community”

We are delighted to advise that ‘The Shields Centre’ in East Pollokshields, was granted Full Planning Consent on 3^rd October 2013.  The project is one of five Health Centre Schemes being developed through the hub vehicle in Scotland, along with a Continuing Care Beds facility.  Apollo is one of three sponsoring partners involved with hub West Scotland; and in this instance is also providing a Project Management resource to the East Pollokshields project.

At c. 600m² over 2 Storeys it is a modest sized facility, though will provide key Community Benefits by bringing together 2 GP Surgeries, a Health Shop, a Social Work element and various clinics provided by Community Services.  A unique aspect of its community engagement is in the provision of a Community Garden, providing an aesthetic vista to the Ground Floor Waiting Area within an otherwise urban setting; and providing an area for local groups to grow fuit and vegetables.

Community engagement has also included development of flora influenced Public Art, linking with the organic nature of the Community Garden, which will be incorporated within external screens and internal glazing.

Site Works are planned for early Spring with a further update being provided closer to the time.

Apollo have completed their £3m Cloughmore Development in the Splott area of Cardiff. This 10,000 sq ft scheme was designed by Boyes Rees Architects, Shear Design and McCann & Partners and is located on the site of the former Splott Health Centre. The design captures the industrial heritage of the area with a combination of brickwork, natural local stone, zinc and Corten rain screen.

The building is provided with several energy efficient measures such as a 20KW photovoltaic range, auto dimming lighting on photocells, stack ventilation system, energy efficient taps and increased thermal and air leakage performance. This has resulted in the building achieving an Energy Performance of 18 which is the best performing health care building in Wales and in the top 10 in the UK. It will achieve BREEAM Excellent with a very high score of 79% which again is the highest in Wales.

The scheme was built by Dawnus Construction in 52 weeks which included the removal of asbestos and demolition of the old health centre on the site. The Dawnus team headed by Tom Rees delivered the scheme to a very high quality and on time.

Rob James, Apollo’s Operations Director and Project Lead said “this is a fantastic scheme and demonstrates Apollo’s commitment to providing the most energy efficient buildings in the sector. The quality of the architecture and construction shows our close management of the entire process from start to finish”.

Rob James enlisted the help of Emma Price from EMP Projects to introduce art into the project. This resulted in the commissioning of Ruth McLees a local Cardiff artist who provided hand painted water colours of different vista’s in the surrounding area both past and present. These were then photographed and placed onto vinyl and then placed in the feature hit and miss glass wall on both floors. This is complimented by the use of a 1879 map of Splott to give a sense of place for visitors and staff alike.

Rob James said “introducing art into our buildings is not a requirement of funding or planning, however, our aim is add interest into our schemes and create a healing environment through good use of art, light and colour. I think the combination of DGA’s interior design and Ruth McLees art provides a fantastic patient experience which is unique to this building”.

Apollo are due to complete the Rumney Primary Care Centre scheme in October 2013 and will then move forward with Mountain Ash and Whitland schemes in the near future.