ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
bedroom corridor into pockets of space. This sense of privacy is perhaps more noticeable when it is absent, and there is simply a long run of bedroom doors along a corridor. The transition of space from private to social continues outside the bedroom. The corridor can be a valuable room in itself, and particularly valuable for patients who are not yet comfortable entering the more communal areas of a ward. The bedroom corridor features a generous-width colonnade with seating between to encourage patients to stop, contemplate, or socialise with one another.
A bedroom corridor.
Ground floor plan Observation and privacy
One of the many challenges in configuring a ward is how best to provide observation from a single point. Consequently, the walls to the courtyard are designed so they are all glass, allowing views across the courtyard to all bedroom corridors. There was a balance to be achieved between privacy and observation, particularly where one ward is located above another. Following handover, the Trust recalibrated this balance, adding a pattern to the glazing at a low level to provide a greater level of privacy. The pattern is unique, linked to each ward’s name, and adds interest to the corridor and courtyard, particularly with the shadows it casts. Internal full-height glazed screens to day spaces open up the interior, providing a sense of spaciousness, as well as good observation.
Access
Access to the building is located centrally to minimise circulation within the building. The ward office is located close to each ward entrance to closely monitor access. Its location also enables easier support to the neighbouring ward, helping to reduce the burden on reduced staffing during night shifts. On entering the ward you immediately enter a staff zone, comprised of offices, meeting space, stores, utility, kitchen, laundry, treatment, and visiting spaces, with patient areas and a seclusion suite located beyond another set of doors. This acts as a large airlock for the ward, and enables staff, admissions, and goods, to come and go discretely without disturbing the day-to-day lives of patients on the ward.
Internal Spaces
A recess to each paired bedroom, formed by the services riser to their en-suite bathrooms, creates a threshold which helps add a layer of privacy to the bedrooms. This also serves to break up the
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Facilitating access to outdoor space Providing mental health patients with easy access to good quality outdoor space has always been a driving design principle of our practice. This has become even more relevant as COVID-19-driven social distancing continues. Both storeys are configured to provide direct access to outdoor space without the need for direct staff supervision. This autonomy reduces pressure on staff, removing a potential source of conflict and frustration in having to ask and wait for permission. The ground floor courtyard features a deep overhang in front of its dining and activity rooms. This provides a generous sheltered space from the sun and rain. On the first floor this overhang creates a terrace, allowing the internal configuration of the ward to largely remain the same. The terrace is bordered by glazing, which makes the terrace feel more spacious, allowing patients to visually connect with the larger courtyard space beyond.
Intuitive wayfinding
Wayfinding is intuitive and straightforward throughout the facility. The entrance is signalled by a canopy and stair tower. On entering the building you can see straight through to a garden separating the wards. Not only does this provide a positive first impression, but it also allows you to see immediately which ward you are going to: whether left, right, up, or down. Taking the stairs maintains a connection with the outside, enabling better orientation.
Common circulation areas are located centrally, minimising unnecessary travel distance within the building. The courtyard provides a positive anchor point to orientate yourself as you move around the ward.
Materials and appearance The perimeter of a mental health ward has various demanding functional requirements. Crucially, it needs to ensure appropriate levels of security. While it is desirable to have opening windows for ventilation and a sense of control of your environment, this leads to a risk of absconsion, and the passing of contraband through the opening, as well as the ligature risks this creates. Privacy and dignity also need to be safeguarded. A key design principle was to address these issues in an inconspicuous manner to help de- stigmatise the building.
The facade features a simple palette of good quality brickwork that is robust, will age well, and integrates with the materials of neighbouring buildings. The Britplas Safevent windows specified address robustness, security, the ability to open a window, prevention of the passing of contraband, and ligature risk, very neatly and discretely, in one component. The sliding sash design omits hinges or other ligatures. The sash can be opened wide, revealing a fine perforated steel mesh to allow good ventilation, while stopping the passing of items.
The palette of colours is designed to be neutral and calm. Brickwork was selected to blend well with neighbouring buildings. Windows, doors, and other metalwork are finished in a dark grey colour with a unifying appearance. The plant to the roof is a silver colour, that blends in with the sky on an overcast day, with the profile of its vents and cladding carefully matched to create a unified appearance. In contrast, the furniture selected brings colour and variety to the interior.
Building scale
Achieving a domestic scale mental health building can be challenging when the demands of mechanical services require
Architectural plans: Sections through the ward courtyard (top), and through the central courtyard. OCTOBER 2020 | THE NETWORK
©Tim Crocker
©Medical Architecture
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