Health park’s architectural mastery recognised

The historic but little-known ties between Waterford Health Park and a master architect whose work can be found inside the Palace of Westminster has been officially marked in Waterford City.

The Waterford Civic Trust has erected a new blue plaque at the multi-disciplinary healthcare campus on Slievekeale Road.

It’s the latest in a series of blue plaques installed by the trust to commemorate links between local sites and historic events or people.

The plaque celebrates the history of the building which now plays host to the heath park and marks the fact the former Presentation convent was designed by Augustus Welby Pugin, master of the Gothic revival and best-known for his work on the interior of Westminster Palace.

It follows previous recognition for the healthcare facility which has also been showcased by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, maintained by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Other plaudits include a shortlisting for World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival Awards in 2010.

The blue plaque was unveiled by Mayor of Waterford Jim D’Arcy at a ceremony also attended by Fáilte Ireland’s Gary Breen; Máire Henry of the Waterford Civic Trust and Dr Mark Rowe, head of the Waterford Health Park.

Modelled on international examples, Waterford Health Park offers a wide range of primary healthcare at a single location. With up to 50 healthcare professionals on- site, the 30,000-sq ft facility is seen as an example of best practice in conservation and reuse of older buildings. It features in the Government Policy on Architecture 2009-2015, Towards a Sustainable Future: Delivering Quality within the Built Environment.

The mid-19th century convent vacated by the Presentation Sisters was conserved and converted into Waterford Health Park by a design team that included Duffy Henry Bent Architects; Frank Fox Engineers; Pat Sheridan Consultants and Hillary Liddy Design with Clancy Construction as main contractors.

The architectural features of Waterford Health Park can be viewed by the public from 9am-6pm, Monday- Friday and from 10am-2pm on Saturdays.