Akerman was commissioned by Lambeth Primary Care Trust to accommodate three General Practices, two flexible medical suites, a suite of meeting rooms and offices for the Community Nursing teams and Local Authority Social Services. The objective was to consolidate services from a number of locations and a number of agencies on a single site in a severely deprived London neighbourhood. Akerman assumes the role of a public building and borrows the form of a cathedral to convey its civic qualities. The design places the foyer in the middle of this long building opposite a T-junction. When open, the foyer is an extension of the public realm – the new route through the building links two adjoining neighbourhoods. Our design informed the masterplan for the regeneration of the adjoining estate. Clinicians, patients, neighbours and local community groups were consulted on functionality and impact. Their thoughts were captured in the brief and design ideas tested with users.