Glasgow University's Small Animal Hospital exploits the topography of its location to provide a building of spatial and formal richness whilst satisfying the demands of clinical procedures. The building’s big idea is topographically conceived: lift a leviathan piece of turf and locate the building below it. The simplicity of the parti is enriched by a sequential movement from arrival, where one encounters the ‘hill’, descending into a generous top-lit reception space, thereafter ascending through the ‘hill’ into a lantern, which reconnects with the point of arrival and the landscape. Like a favourite pet or in vet-speak, ‘companion animal’, the building is distinctive and full of character.