ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Key project details
l Location: Poole, Dorset. l Value: £8 m. l Completed: March 2023
Project team l Client: Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust.
l Architects: Medical Architecture. l Contractor: Kier. l Services engineer: TNG Consulting Engineers.
l Structure and civil engineer: Godsell Arnold Partnership.
l Arboriculture and landscape design: Hellis Solutions.
l Ecological consultant: Darwin Ecology.
l Quantity surveyor: Gleeds. l Fire safety: IFC Group. l CDM coordinator: MLM Group. l Acoustic Engineer: Ian Sharland. l Project Manager: MMC Project Consulting.
l Fitted Furniture: David Bailey Furniture Systems.
l Furniture Items: Pineapple Furniture. l Doors: Kingsway Group.
compromised. The design approach is to create private, relaxing spaces where patients can focus fully on their recovery journey, but also a facility where staff are able to provide effective care. Maintaining this fine balance required careful consideration, along with consultation with clinicians, ward staff, and service users. Also within the building, the generous
corridors are designed as an additional room, providing informal places to sit, rest, and chat, with other patients and the clinical team. This is enhanced by careful location of rooflights, providing pockets of daylight that create pleasant spaces to dwell along circulation routes and within the staff base. Ligature reduction measures have been thoughtfully and discreetly integrated to create a calming environment, and to resemble a domestic setting. Natural materials and neutral colours throughout the building interior complement the ever-present views to nature. Large areas of glazing and rooflights provide natural light to reinforce circadian rhythms, and reduce the requirement for internal lighting.
Providing a pathway from high dependency to recovery As well as eight standard inpatient bedrooms, the building also includes two high-dependency bedrooms paired with a dedicated clinical space. This part of the unit is intended to treat the most vulnerable patients with a level of risk and complexity that currently makes
THE NETWORK | AUGUST 2023 The building’s multi-functional activity space enjoys spectacular views out across the tree canopy.
it difficult to manage them safely and effectively among other patients. The high-dependency area is located alongside the standard inpatient bedrooms on the ground floor, and although it is separated securely, the proximity to the remainder of the accommodation provides the sense of a clear pathway through to the general inpatient unit to a place of recovery. Jess Griffiths is an Eating Disorders
therapist, and a former eating disorders service-user, at St. Ann’s Hospital. When visiting the completed building for the first time, she described her experience thus: “As soon as I walked in, I just welled up. I was so emotional because it is so beautiful, and it’s just going to help so many people in their treatment. I was totally overcome. It’s amazing. The old building was really quite small, and when something is quite small, you don’t feel as if you have lots of safe spaces, so you feel a bit encroached upon. However the environment of the new facility will facilitate so many more therapeutic activities, supported eating, and all the things you need to increase your chances of recovery, and will make a huge difference to people’s rehabilitation back into the community. We really don’t want people to be in hospital any longer than they need to be. Having the correct environment, and all the facilities they need, will hopefully mean they recover fully, and that they don’t need to
come back another time.” The building’s focus on wellbeing
extends not only to patients, but equally to members of staff based in the facility. The first floor provides a range of office spaces, all with views out across to the surrounding trees. Next to these, a large staff rest area provides an easily accessible space to take breaks in comfortable surroundings. A large, attractive bespoke joinery unit provides generously sized lockers for staff possessions. A member of staff currently working in the facility shared their thoughts on these spaces: “Having staff facilities has, and will, improve staff wellbeing. It makes you feel valued.”
Protecting and respecting the existing context Externally, the design uses traditional materials found on the hospital site, such as brick and clay roof tiles, but details them in a contemporary manner, providing a modern and attractive setting for the treatment and care of vulnerable patients. The ground floor is clad with a Wienerberger Heritage Blend brick, which provides a robust material that weathers well and complements the surrounding buildings. The first-floor accommodation is clad in clay roof tiles, which references neighbouring buildings. This provides a visual separation, and helps to break up
The building’s focus on wellbeing extends not only to patients, but equally to members of staff based in the facility. The first floor provides a range of office spaces, all with views out across to the surrounding trees. Next to these, a large staff rest area provides an easily accessible space to take breaks in comfortable surroundings
25
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 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
