Kilmarnock architect designed Ayrshire Maternity Unit

Jul 3 2009 by Stef Lach, Kilmarnock Standard

ARCHITECT David Ross beamed with pride when his latest creation officially opened in his hometown last week.

The Kilmarnock man who designed the Ayrshire Maternity Unit at Crosshouse Hospital can see the structure from his window.

He is delighted that it is already Ayrshire’s main maternity facility.

David is the design director for Keppie Design and he led the team responsible for the unit’s design.

Designed around a simple ‘figure of eight’, the 8500 square metre, two-storey centre embraces all aspects of modern maternity care from early pregnancy assessments and ultrasound to neonatal care.

Ross, said: “I’ve got a lot of local links with the area both personal and professional.

“My two children were born at Ayrshire Central and my mother worked there, running the ophthalmic clinic before retiring at the start of this year.

“I started my own career in Kilmarnock with Munro Architects in 1982 before joining Keppie in Glasgow in 1988.

“This has been a fantastic project to have been involved in – the provision of maternity care in Ayrshire is undoubtedly second to none.”

Ross was a student at James Hamilton Academy in Kilmarnock before he went on to study architecture at the University of Glasgow.

Aside from local projects, David led the team responsible for the design of a recently completed university campus in Libya.

He added: “It has been fantastic to be able to return to this area in a professional capacity and put something back into the local community.

“Architecture after all is about enhancing people’s lives and what better satisfaction can be had than delivering this in the area you grew up in.

“It has also been great to be part of a team that includes local construction company, Dawn Group Ltd. I hope that mums-to-be in Ayrshire enjoy the new facilities for a long time to come.”