Plywood Canopy Gives London Hospital The Wow Factor

James Latham recently supplied more than 40 sheets of WISA Twin Plywood which was used to create a lightweight canopy structure for an impressive freestanding workspace pavilion in Evelina Children’s Hospital, part of the St. Thomas’ Hospital campus.

WISA Twin Plywood Canopy - Project Details

The canopy, which was designed by leading architectural practice, CarverHaggard and fabricated by Wyliewood, provides shading, lighting, and privacy for medical staff working within the main atrium space, looking over Archbishop’s Park.

The structure is a hybrid of laser-cut spruce plywood and light grey machined steel components. The canopy is created from a series of seven folding scissor trusses, draped with weighted strips of raw canvas which diffuse the bright light from the sky during the day, and provide a surface for up lighting in lower light conditions. A folded screen of interlocking plywood strips creates a subtle spatial division between the workspace and the public Café area.

The pavilion catches the light and changes in appearance from different viewing angles and at different times of day, perhaps suggesting images of deck chairs, sails, or waves in the context of the ‘Beach’ floor.

Steven Dennard, Specification Manager, Structural Products for James Latham explained, “CarverHaggard selected both WISA Birch and Spruce plywood for its structural properties and the robust appearance of the edges, which were detailed to expose the thickness of the inner spruce layers and the end result is fantastic, it’s certainly got the wow factor, plus its extremely functional as well.”

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