FORENSIC MENTAL HEALTHCARE


A site plan.


reducing the sense of enclosure. High secure design guidelines also


require a minimum eaves height of 4.2 m, which can dwarf the scale of single-storey features such as windows and doors, and create a potentially odd-looking elevation. To reduce the overall mass of the inpatient buildings, the roof pitch is kept low, with a large overhang. A dark-coloured rendered band below the projecting eaves creates an apparent shadow line, reducing the perceived height of each elevation, and creating the impression of a floating roof.


Enhancing the woodland setting Regenerative design principles have been incorporated into the design to enhance the quality of the site’s natural setting and support biodiversity. Stormwater is captured and distributed to an adjacent existing wetland. The wetland had dried out due to housing developments in the area, and this strategy has helped to replenish the underground aquifer. Woodland Management Plans ensured minimal disruption to existing woodland, and the creation of new native woodland. The landscaping saw the planting of sacrificial crops for seed-eating farmland birds over the winter months, as well as the planting of new grassland. Nest boxes are integrated into the building to accommodate swifts, swallows, and bats. The plant palette has been chosen to


integrate the scheme with the surrounding area at its boundaries, and to provide shelter and amenity value within the site. Dominant trees species reflect the planting


Ruairi Reeves


Ruairi Reeves, a director at Medical Architecture, is an architect with 18 years’ experience in the design of therapeutic healthcare environments. He specialises in the creation of high-quality spaces that contribute to the wellbeing and recovery of patients. He has worked on a wide range of projects, including the Glenside Mental Health Campus in Adelaide; the Ferndene Children and Young People’s Centre in Northumbria; Blossom Court Mental Health Inpatient Unit at St Ann’s Hospital in London, and the new National Forensic Mental Health Hospital in Portrane, Ireland.


Karl Burton


Karl Burton is an associate architect with Scott Tallon Walker Architects in Dublin. He has extensive experience as a senior design architect in the practice’s Healthcare Division, with a reputation for the successful delivery of fast-track, large-scale projects. Recent projects completed include the National Forensic Mental Health Service Hospital, comprising nine buildings on a 13-hectare site in a woodland setting, and Mater University Hospital in Dublin, a ‘state-of-the-art’ acute hospital which employs best evidence-based design philosophies.


THE NETWORK | FEBRUARY 2023 23


An aerial view of the new facility, built upon a 13-hectare site within the St. Ita’s Hospital Complex in Portrane, County Dublin, north of Dublin.


palette of the local area, and suitable local species, have been utilised in the boundary tree planting.


A ‘national step-change’ for secure mental health The National Forensic Mental Health Service Hospital will once again position Ireland’s forensic mental health services as world-leading in clinical practice. Set in a unique landscape environment, the facility supports the underlying roles of therapeutic care and security with dignity, delivering a pioneering, world-class facility which embodies the best principles of high secure mental healthcare design. Commenting on the new facility, Simon Harris, Minister for Health in Ireland, said:


“This new forensic hospital represents a huge step forward for this country, and will help to ensure that our citizens are cared for in the best way possible.” Addressing the role the hospital will


play in de-stigmatising mental health services nationally, Helen McEntee TD – Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People in Ireland, said: “The perception of an institutional-style mental health service, isolated and stigmatised from the rest of the community, is thankfully becoming a thing of the past. This new complex will provide an environment in which we can deliver a mental health service which advocates recovery for even the most complex mental health cases.”


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The ‘village green’ as seen from ground level.


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