Concept Design by FDArchitecture; Following the extension of the Nottingham Express Transit [tram] system, FDArchitecture were approached to provide proposal designs for a new satellite entrance building to the Queens Medical Centre by a third party Client.

The new building was conceived to receive the public arriving and departing from the new NET tram stop being built to the south of the hospital but, crucially for the Hospital Trust, this would also provide both commercial and infrastructure opportunities for them and help them future-proof the site by providing a literal platform for the development of more clinical space at a later date.

The building design is greatly dictated by the limitations of the site conditions; it is set within an existing open court where light into existing wards must be retained, existing servicing must continue and be supplemented at street level and the elevated position of the tram line required the linkage to occur at high-level, in effect forming a sort of inhabited bridge.

Inevitably, commercial opportunities are paramount to the funding of the building and as such, along the link route, the structure principally provides high quality retail and catering offers in line with NHS guidance, but importantly it also allows for new public spaces too and these enjoy prime locations and views afforded from their high position.