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Earlier this month, the Oriel team hosted a design showcase which displayed the internal designs from their new centre, which is set to open in 2027.

What is Oriel?

Oriel is a new initiative between three partner organisations: the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Moorfields Eye Charity. The name ‘Oriel’, a word for a bay-window, was chosen to reflect the vision of creating a central and light-filled environment. The centre for advancing eye health will bring together clinical care, research, and education under one roof, a feat which will greatly accelerate the production of innovative treatments for patients.

Professor Andrew Dick, the Director of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, emphasised the revolutionary nature of the initiative, as he discussed how the integration of three organisations will ‘remove the physical barriers created by staff working across different locations’, thereby ‘catalysing’ the production of ideas, leading research, and new treatments.

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The showcase

The Oriel design showcase took place at the education hub, in Ebenezer Street, between the 5^th and the 7^th of March. It saw over 700 visitors in the space of three days, including patients, staff members from each of the three organisations, benefactors, and more. Amongst those visiting were Professor Andrew Dick, Director of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Dr Michael Spence, UCLÌýPresident & Provost.

The displays were spread across two rooms, with a third break room for visitors to take tea and coffee. The displays themselves were both highly informative and accessible: videos and brightly coloured boards with audio description options took visitors through the history of Oriel, starting with its motivations, to planning proposals, to the construction progress over the last four years. This was also the first time that all the internal designs were on display. Many staff were excited to be able to find out where in the building they would be based and see computer-generated images of what their labs and rooms may look like in the new building.

3D printed models and tactile floor plans used different materials to map the layout, enabling all the visitors to gain a sense of how the new building would be arranged. Rebecca Adda, from accessibility experts Buro Happold, ­­who worked on the accessibility requirements both for the building and the showcase, described how the inclusivity of the design was the culmination of careful consideration and research. Working with focus groups of patients greatly aided­ the planning for a centre in which visually impaired patients will feel at ease.

The new building

The centre, set to open in 2027, will be located near King’s Cross Station in Camden. The central location both renders it easily accessible to the public and places the building close to important partners such as the Francis Crick Institute, UCLH, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and UCL’s Bloomsbury campus.

With bike stores, staff changing facilities, and a staff-and-student canteen included in the building plans, the new centre is committed to making the space one which facilitates a variety of needs. Moreover, what appears to be revolutionary in the design is its integration: education, clinical patient care and research are intermixed across the 10 floors of the building.

Donna Fitzpatrick, the Project Manager for the design workstream (staff engagement), and Andrew Dick both stressed the significance of the structure of the building. With lectures, seminar rooms, and student labs integrated with the working spaces and patient care areas across all floors, the key feature of the building is its hybridity. It ties together research, care, and learning, enabling constant interaction and dialogue, and between themÌýfeedback about treatments can be received more quickly and students can be on-hand to work on and learn about cutting-edge research as it emerges.

Michael Spence discussed the implications of this. Not only would this enable faster treatments and therapies, but this union ofÌýlearning, research, and care is one that ensures we put the patients first:

‘At times, the point of research can shift from its original intention to the act of publication. With the new centre, the point is the patients.Ìý And this makes a huge cultural difference, as we tie condition and care to the front of research.’

The idea of putting patient care at the forefront is reflected in all the aspects of the new building, from its aims, to its structural design, to the accessibility of the showcase. Overall, the initiative is a hugely promising one, and the expertise of the partners under one roof looks towards a future thatÌýcatalyses the development of research and treatment for eye-care.

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Credit:ÌýDominick Tyler