MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES
also bring world leading researchers and practitioners together under one roof, working together to improve knowledge and understanding of the treatment and root causes of mental illness.”
Valuing lived experience in hospital design Consultation with young service users and their families has been integral to the Centre’s design from its inception. After receiving briefs from key stakeholder groups within the King’s Maudsley Partnership – including representatives of the Trust’s clinical team, researchers from King’s, and Trustees of the Maudsley Charity – Arcadis Group hosted a series of workshops for service users. The aim of these workshops was to collect information on participants’ emotional responses to a range of clinical environments, as well as non-clinical spaces with a positive effect on mental health. Following a process architects call ‘emotional mapping’, Arcadis would then use this data to inform the design, ensuring every aspect of the building supported the recovery and wellbeing of its users. The workshops accordingly focused on
three patient groups, each with different needs, who would be uniquely served by the specialist facilities at the new Pears Maudsley Centre: inpatients, outpatients, and users with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Through a total of four workshops, each involving between 10 and 25 participants, service users, their families, and their carers reflected on their lived experience of clinical environments and described the kinds of spaces that would have a positive influence on their mental health. Through these workshops, Arcadis
found that all service users wanted an environment that was welcoming, open,
Pears Maudsley Centre classroom.
and easy to navigate without supervision, in addition to green outdoor spaces supporting a wide range of recreational activities. They also showed a preference for natural or dimmable light, informal and adaptable design in educational and communal spaces, and colour throughout the building. Spaces tailored to the needs and interests of the different age groups of patients treated at the Centre were another priority. All of these perspectives are reflected in the project’s core design principles; they have shaped every aspect of the building, from fixtures and fittings to its profile against the South London sky.
Accommodating the different sensory
experience of ASD service users was a key priority of the workshops. Participants in this group placed an especially high value on range and freedom of choice, as well as a preference for low lighting and quiet areas. A range of calming, therapeutic spaces throughout the building were designed with their needs and preferences in mind. Principal Architect Graham Harris
observed that the lived experience of service users consulted for the project were vital to the thinking behind the design. He said: “For service users receiving treatment at the point of crisis, we’ve provided a sanctuary in which the care they deserve will be delivered in an appropriate, therapeutic setting. The peaceful environment with complimentary outdoor provision will help to lower the tempo of all the stresses faced by those receiving treatment, and will contribute to improved outcomes for the Trust and its service users.” Over 100 stakeholders were consulted
throughout the design process for the Pears Maudsley Centre, from fundraising engagement sessions to the above consultations. The results are palpable in core elements of the design, and none more so than its efforts to incorporate nature in every part of the building.
Recognising the importance of nature to mental health In line with the wishes of the young service users Arcadis consulted in their workshops, a connection to nature will be a constant of the patient experience at the Pears Maudsley Centre. Natural light, fresh air, and greenery offer tangible benefits to mental health and wellbeing in medical settings, and a carefully cultivated sense of proximity to the natural world throughout the Centre will make it a welcoming and peaceful environment for service users, staff, and visitors. In sharp contrast to the patient experience in traditional medical institutions, the Centre’s green spaces will represent a home away from home and play a key role in destigmatising mental health treatment for all of our service users. We hope this connection with nature will help service users to be able to see and feel part of nearby green space, something we hope will help improve and maintain their mental wellbeing while in our care. The products of this design philosophy
Pears Maudsley Centre patient room. 24
are most visible in the ‘green spine’ running vertically through the building in
IFHE DIGEST 2024
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