ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN


Bedroom views illustrating flexibility and customisation potential, with fitted cupboards giving restricted access to the TV and washhand basin.


by wheelchair users, and gives the lounge area views of the pleasant courtyard. The reimagined lounge is snug – a quiet


space with fitted furniture where children can hang out together, watch TV, or curl up in a cosy corner with a book. The new dining area has a large communal table that can also be used for art activities, and a smaller seating hub. There is a hatch to the kitchen, which means the young people will be able to come up and select the foods they like, making the dining process much more streamlined. Fleet has added an air-lock area to prevent injury to staff and any breaches to the kitchen.


Fewer distractions Separating the two spaces in this way, with the large-screen TV in the lounge, will allow for fewer distractions for the children while eating or participating in group activities – a requirement raised by NHFT during the briefing process. It also creates smaller break-out spaces where the young people can find peace and quiet, but still feel connected to


the wider life of the centre. In Fleet’s new configuration, the dining room is completely open to the centre’s courtyard, where there are group games, ping-pong, and arts and crafts activities. Marie James said: “The children and young people love the garden, so opening the building out, bringing in the light, and creating more of a free flow to the garden area, will add to the calm atmosphere we are trying to create.” We suggested a partition wall as an option in the dining room, to allow the space to be less connected to the outside on occasions, for the avoidance of distractions. To keep the natural light flowing in, the partition could have a glazed panel.


Customisable bedrooms The eight bedrooms each have views to different parts of the gardens. Every time a child makes a return visit, the staff at the centre will try to place them in the same room they had before. Fleet advances this idea by introducing personalisable elements to the bedrooms, such as frames that can


Jaime Bishop


Director at Fleet Architects alongside Richard Henson, Jaime Bishop is an all-round designer with specialist skills in health and social care. He has experience as studio lead on multi-million-pound schemes, including district general hospitals, integrated care centres, and masterplanning of major tertiary facilities in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. In 2021, he co- authored ‘The Well Placed Hospital’, part of Fleet’s submission for the Wolfson Economics Prize, which describes a process for greater integration of healthcare infrastructure. He has sat on the executive board of Architects for Health (AfH) since 2006. Having founded AfH’s Education stream, which then evolved into the Student Design Awards, Jaime was elected co-chair alongside Stephanie Williamson in 2022.


Educated at The Royal College of Art, Bath University, and the TU Delft, he has been ARB-registered, and a member of RIBA, since 2006. Jaime was previously deputy chair at City and Hackney CCG, leading on Patient Involvement, Innovation, and Primary Care, and was an architectural studio tutor at London South Bank University.


Kai Xin Tan


Associate architect, Kai Xin Tan, has proved herself a well-rounded designer, contributing both sophistication and practicality to the Fleet team. She is project architect for the new Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services unit (CAMHS) and the two Section 136 Place of Safety mental health facilities working with NHFT. She has also steered the designs and project delivery on a range of other recent healthcare schemes, such as a ‘ground-breaking’ concept ward for James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth, and an Intensive Care Unit for Barts Health in Newham. Kai Xin gained her qualification with RIBA North West, and is an ARB-registered member. She holds an urban design qualification, and played a critical role in applying an urbanist agenda to Fleet’s Wolfson Prize submission.


THE NETWORK | MAY 2023 31


easily swap pictures in and out, child- specific storage boxes, and nameplates on the doors that can be customised for each child. Fleet has integrated as much flexibility into the design proposals as possible, allowing bedroom specifications to be tailored to the child’s individual needs and preferences. At the request of NHFT, Fleet has designed a fitted cupboard that allows for restricted access to the TV, washhand basin, and wardrobe, using a swing door when staff aren’t present. This prevents the use of TV during sleep times, climbing on the furniture, or the potential for water damage because of taps being left on, whether accidentally or intentionally. The doors to the rooms will also be upgraded, reducing the risk of self- harm, but also allowing for less intrusive observation by staff.


Summing up If NHFT gets the green light to move forward with the refurbishment project, Fleet will expand on its proposals, developing our suggestion to open up the IT room by combining the current space with an adjacent storeroom and fully reimagining and refitting the soft play and sensory rooms. We will also add in more options for personalisation in the bedrooms. We will finesse our plans for Woodside, the more traditional mental health facility located at the quieter, north-east end of the site. Interiors will be refreshed along the same lines as Lakeside. Service manager, Marie James, told us:


“The design proposal goes so much further than we ever believed possible. Fleet really understood our brief, took the time to get to know our client group, and pulled out all the stops to create an environment that meets their needs. These incredibly special children deserve an environment that shows them how much we value them; a place that does not overwhelm their senses, but combines fun and functionality with peace and tranquility.”


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