Adult Acute Facilities
that could not be fully realised in the original buildings.
To achieve these aims, the following facilities for service-users were considered essential in the development of new mental healthcare units: • Single bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. • Direct access to safe gardens and outside space.
• Natural light and ventilation. • Areas for recreation, socialising, and quiet time.
• Space to meet visitors and families. • Art rooms and multi-purpose therapy spaces.
• Assisted daily living skills kitchens. • Individual therapy spaces. • A fitness room, computer room, and library.
• Drinks and snacks areas.
THE EXISTING FARNHAM ROAD SITE The 2.6 hectare site is nearly rectangular in shape. It originally contained 17 buildings of different ages and varying architectural quality arranged at right angles to each other, and responding to the geography of the site. The main hospital building to Farnham Road is Grade II listed, and formed the focal point of the site in scale and character, as well as being a local landmark lining one of the main access routes into Guildford. This building was part of the original Royal Surrey County Hospital designed by Edward Lower, a local architect, as a county hospital for non-Metropolitan Surrey, and opened in 1866.
A succession of additional buildings and extensions were built from the 1880s through to the 1970s. The earlier buildings tended to be sandstone, and dressed with red brick with some details of Arts and Crafts influences, whereas the later buildings were brick. One of the less attractive later structures, the Noel Lavin Building, formed a skyline landmark, visible in long views from all directions.
SERVICE-USERS OF ALL AGES The hospital had filled much of its land by the late 1970s, when it no longer operated as a general hospital, and became Farnham Road Hospital. It has since provided mental health services for people of all ages, as well as learning disabilities and substance misuse services.
Most of the site was occupied by areas of hard surfacing, which were generally utilitarian
with little quality if any – the Farnham Road frontage being the most attractive space. Large areas were generally devoted to car parking, with parking spaces spread haphazardly across the site. The heart of the site incorporated a series of linked garden spaces with trees and grass.
THE PROPOSALS
When reviewing the clinical model it was apparent that this could not be delivered in the existing Farnham Road estate. Many of the required facilities were not available, or could not be achieved due to the scale and arrangement of the buildings – which had grown up over time in a series of disconnected stock. Some refurbishment had taken place within the existing Grade II-listed building, and this did provide some up-to-date facilities, but all other existing accommodation was out-of- date.
This implied that demolition of most of the buildings would be required – posing a challenge from a planning perspective, due to the presence of the main Grade II-listed building to Farnham Road.
LISTING CONSIDERATIONS The listing process considers buildings constructed pre-1948 within the curtilage of a listed building as being included within the listing; these are known as ‘curtilage listed buildings’. Consequently many of the buildings on the site were curtilage listed. Additionally, some of the buildings within the site were locally listed, which means that they were considered to have local architectural or historical interest.
None of the buildings constructed after 1948 had any particular architectural or historic interest, and they were not considered to be heritage assets. Most were huts or sheds, with the exception of Mitchell Hall, originally a concert hall converted to mainly office-based hospital uses. Additionally the site occupies a prominent location when viewed from adjacent residential areas, as well as from the Cathedral, which sits on a hill further to the north. The Noel Lavin and other post-1948 buildings were agreed to be fairly unsightly and prominent on the landscape, so there were no issues in demolishing these structures.
ENHANCING THE HERITAGE ASSET The design of the new facility addressed these issues by proposing a new building that
respected the scale and was in keeping with the surrounding urban landscape. It removed the collection of unsightly buildings and overcame the issue of the loss of the locally and curtilage listed buildings by providing a building of quality which created new open and green spaces within the heart of the site while enhancing the setting of the Grade II-listed building. The concept developed the principle of a glazed spine link to connect the older adult wards in the existing Grade II-listed building to new therapies and front-of-house areas, and to the new older adult acute wards. This link also provided pedestrian access to the new facility for those arriving on foot from Farnham Road. The concept also enhanced the site’s green heart, enabling the buildings to benefit from this and face onto it to create a new landscaped focus. This was then repeated as a series of green spaces throughout for patient access and amenity.
THE DESIGN
The 24-hour treatment and assessment service is formed with the new-build adult acute wards and Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, together with the existing Victoria and Albert older adult wards, located in the Grade II-listed building to Farnham Road. The new building is designed with three main elements: • The entrance facilities and therapies element. With a sustainable green and brown roof, this relates to the green heart of the site, maximising the benefit of views onto the landscape from therapy rooms, the entrance foyer, and café. A multi- coloured rainscreen cladding panel system is used to the elevation, with an organic plan form to give distinct identity. The colours chosen are ‘earthy’ to complement the natural tones of the buff stone and red brick detailing of the Grade II-listed buildings.
This element accommodates: Ground Floor: Main entrance, reception and café; a Family Visiting Room; Trust offices and community teams, a Section 136 suite for police referral admissions. First Floor: Gym; Physiotherapy Room; Art and Craft Room; Assisted Daily Living Kitchen; Other Group Rooms.
• The main ward areas. These have a more orthogonal plan form. They have a different elevation treatment to identify their function as distinct from the entrance facilities and therapies element. This helps
Within the courtyard areas, a lighter off-white stone colour is used to reflect more light in the enclosed space.
32 THE NETWORK Ap r i l 2 0 16
Each ward is named after a tree, with designs for each represented in the interior design of the connecting spine link.
Photos courtesy of PM Devereux Architects.
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