CAMHS FACILITIES
Designing for CAMHS: investing in the future
Andrew Arnold, an award-winning architect and director at Gilling Dod Architects, which has, over the past 20 years, established itself as a major player in UK healthcare design, takes a look at the practice’s approach to the design of CAMHS facilities – and acknowledges that some of his own views on what constitutes fit-for-purpose design have been shaped by the experiences of his daughter, who has recently experienced her own mental health issues. The article also focuses on a new GDA-designed £7.8 million CAMHS inpatient unit in Hull, Inspire, the result of what the project partners say is ‘a truly collaborative and inclusive delivery process’.
In these very testing times, the nation’s mental health has never been under such pressure. Issues relating to mental health are part and parcel of my day-to-day job, and a field that I find fascinating. From very early on in my architectural career I wanted to design buildings that were for real people, and had a direct impact on their lives and wellbeing. After a brief career in education design it is perhaps thus unsurprising that I ended up specialising in designing healthcare settings, and in particular mental health environments. This was at a time before mental health became fashionable, and also more aspirational and nuanced. With the odd exception, I recognise this trait in a lot of my architectural contemporaries in the sector, and it is what makes us strive for innovation and design quality on every
project. This can ultimately set you up for a fall, but when projects deliver, the sense of achievement is palpable.
Mental health environments today need to be more than mere safe holding areas. They nurture, protect, inspire, and rejuvenate, and in these COVID times are never more in demand and under pressure. Nowhere is this truer than in CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health) settings, given that they help support society’s most vulnerable members and indeed the adults of tomorrow. De-stigmatising mental health has to start with the young, and this probably explains why this previously forgotten genre is finally getting the attention it deserves. CAMHS services have touched my life both professionally and personally, and the experiences of both have reaffirmed my passion for the subject
matter, and also a commitment to promote the importance of good design, proper funding, and true collaboration, in delivering great facilities. In all honesty, it’s why I’m writing this article.
Unique characteristics
We (GDA) are currently working on our tenth CAMHS project at the moment, which is both unbelievable and revealing. The fact that this is located in Utah in the US just shows how far we have come in terms of design research and understanding. It also underlines the growing global demand for quality young person’s mental health services and environments.
CAMHS projects tend to have unique characteristics that set them apart from other healthcare, and indeed generic,
The £21 million Hopewood mental health facility in Nottingham, designed by Gilling Dod, opened its doors to service-users in June 2018, and provides regional CAMHS, community hub space, and perinatal services. This image, courtesy of arts and heath consultancy, Willis Newson, shows the various facilities to be incorporated on the site – initially dubbed 'The Starwood Centre'.
THE NETWORK | JANUARY 2021
The Mother & Baby Unit at the Hopewood CAMHS unit in Nottingham.
21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
