ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Top left: A visible and publicly accessible café with integrated artwork provides a welcoming space for visitors and staff.
Top right: Use of the common spaces within the new facility is encouraged.
Project details
l Location: Morpeth, United Kingdom. l Value: £60 m. l Completed: September 2023.
Project team
l Client: NTW Solutions – Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
l Architects: Medical Architecture. l Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine. l Services Engineer: CAD21. l Structure and Civil Engineer: Billinghurst George & Partners.
l Landscape Design: Colour. l Fire Safety: Centurion Fire Safety Solutions.
l CDM Coordinator: Richmond Safety Services.
l Acoustic Engineer: SRL Technical Services.
l Project Management: Projeeco. l Art Consultant: Dan Savage, Artstop Studios.
l Building Control: Bluekeep Building Control.
l BREEAM Consultant: Tetra Tech. 38
Left: The design of the bedrooms stemmed from a detailed re- imagining of how these spaces could work.
patient group. So instead, softly rolling grass mounds have been used to provide height definition. These are located and profiled so as not to obstruct views across the space for supervising staff, who can also gain a vantage point from the top of each mound. A covered sports barn, located within the main reception building, which provides the public frontage to the facility, and accessible from the recreation courtyard, allows activities to continue in all weather conditions. In addition to these communal spaces, at the centre of each ward is a private landscaped courtyard for relaxation, and between each ward pair is a designated activity courtyard, with sports court markings. This arrangement offers safe access to a variety of different outdoor areas.
A detailed planting palette was
developed in liaison with the Trust, to provide seasonal variation and semi- permeable enclosure to distinct spaces, while avoiding species that could be harmful or provide cover for contraband. Native species were used appropriately to support biodiversity enhancement.
have an ‘inborn desire’ for environments that allow the capacity to observe opportunities (prospect) from a place of safety (refuge). With this in mind, the courtyard is
separated into two distinct character zones – ‘Passive’ and ‘Active’. The ‘Passive’ zone provides opportunities for ‘refuge’, with restful places to sit among plants and grasses. These smaller-scale spaces offer a sense of enclosure, combined with views out to the wider recreation area to provide gentle enticement into the activities offered. The ‘Active’ zone includes a 200 m jogging/walking loop, social table tennis area with stepped seating, basketball court, mini-tennis court, and a fitness ‘trim trail’, to promote physical activity and the associated wellbeing benefits. A collection of personalised paving markers with local reference points display motivational messages and distance indicators to encourage goal setting. The kind of vertical landscape features that would be typically used to break up an area of this size would provide a ligature risk to this
Therapeutic wards with personal spaces In each ward, the bedrooms are arranged to face outwards, with views to the surrounding woodland. The majority of the day activity and living space is at the centre of the ward, with direct access into the courtyards. Abundant daylighting, attractive views, and a sense of spaciousness, contribute to the therapeutic qualities of the environment, and play an important role in patient rehabilitation. While use of the common spaces is
actively encouraged, it was acknowledged that this service-user group may choose to spend time in their own room, particularly in the morning and evening. To maximise the opportunity for activity, the design of the bedrooms stemmed from a detailed re-imagining of how these spaces could work. In an evolution of previous designs for the Trust, the bespoke fitted furniture is designed to assist with a personal workout outside of scheduled recreation time. Adequate floor space for exercise, and a
MAY 2024 | THE NETWORK
Richard Chivers
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