Cranleigh Medical Practice

About this project

The Project

Cranleigh Medical Practice has been designed with natural health and wellbeing at its core, challenging expectations of accessing care services.

With research showing that the use of exposed timber in communal areas can have a calming and beneficial effect for patients and staff, CLT has been widely used in the centre’s waiting areas and circulation points.

Externally, the building’s design is sympathetic to the local environment, where timber features heavily. SR Architects’ design cleverly uses CLT to marry traditional craftsmanship with modern methods of construction to create a contemporary and appealing building. The use of expressed timber panelling, along with timber-veneered cladding and coloured rendering, tips the hat to the health centre’s traditional timber-frame neighbours, and helps it to sit comfortably within its surroundings.

Working with specialists helped to ensure the smooth running of the project. All CLT was provided by timber supplier Stora Enso, while timber engineer Eurban was responsible for working with the exposed panels. All CLT is PEFC-certified, and sourced and manufactured in an integrated sawmill and CLT mill.

A total of 389m3 of CLT and glulam was used to complete the centre, with just over 300 tonnes of CO2 being stored in the building’s structure. From a Building Regulations perspective, the excellent energy efficiency and air-tightness of materials has helped Cranleigh Medical Practice exceed the standard set for U values for the fabric, and put it on course to achieve a score of BREEAM Excellent.