Adult Acute Facilities
Due to the varying existing topography of the site, the link is also ramped on two storeys, and helps to overcome the differences in floor level for the existing and the new. The front-of-house therapy areas are set a half level up from the wards on two storeys, and the link thus acts as a transitional space where the main accommodation staircases and lifts are located.
A THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT One of the key aspects of the brief was to provide a service that de-stigmatises those suffering from a mental health illness. One aspect of this was to enable more community integration. The provision of the café at the front of the building – where service-users can meet friends and relatives or access the adjacent small shop in a contemporary setting – offers this opportunity. With floor-to-ceiling glazing, and an external terrace, the café overlooks the site’s green heart, where a number of themed gardens for service-users are located. The front entrance and reception are located
on the spine link, and can be easily viewed and accessed from the car park by those who have arrived by car, or by pedestrians arriving by public transport on Farnham Road. For the latter access is gained through the Grade II- listed building, where there is a visual connection to the upper level reception point. Full-height glazing to the link, and a clerestory light to reception, ensure great views and high levels of natural daylight within the space. Wayfinding is thus simplified, and the initial experience made more welcoming to help calm and reassure those using the service.
INTERIOR DESIGN The wayfinding is further enhanced in the interior design strategy. Each of the four wards is named after a tree, with the tree represented in full-height images to the walls. The trees are mixed in areas such as the café and reception, but along the connecting link spine the images become more prevalent for the particular ward being approached, with a single tree represented at the entrance to that ward. This theme is continued into the ward areas,
with the leaf and fruit design for the relevant tree represented in common day spaces and along the bedroom corridors. The wards are set out in a traditional ‘T’ shape, and follow the principle of increasing patient privacy as one travels further into the ward. This means the ward reception, patient possession, manager’s office, and interview rooms, are encountered first, and can be accessed without going into the main ward areas. Separated by a series of doors, the next zone accommodates rooms for less frequent patient use, such as the laundry and clinic rooms. To the centre of the ‘T’ shape are the main day spaces such as the lounge, and open plan dining and activity rooms alongside the ward office. This assists with unobtrusive observation, and floods the whole area with natural daylight.
‘PRIVATE’ BEDROOM AREAS The bedroom areas are the most private, and are accessed via passing the ward office into two separate gender zones with a ‘swing zone’ of two beds to enable flexing of the room designation according to gender need. Access to fresh air is direct from each ward – to ground
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floor gardens or first floor ‘outside rooms’ or secure terraces. This enables unsupervised but highly observable access to the outside without the need to ask permission, which further strengthens service-user independence and dignity. The mix of different day spaces allows choice of setting to suit the needs of the individual.
SUSTAINABILITY The local context More than 75% of the scheme lies on previously developed land, and the development and its landscape respect, relate to, and enhance, the existing surroundings. The site is also close to various forms of public transport. There is a bus stop directly opposite Farnham Road, and the train station is a 10-minute walk away, reducing the need for visitors and staff to travel by car. Guildford town centre is also within a short walking distance. The built form The construction uses the Laing O’Rourke ‘Explore’ system of DFMA, or Design for Manufacture and Assembly – the principle of which is that the building is constructed using factory-fabricated components, which are then delivered and assembled on site, limiting waste and excessive water usage. A Site Waste Management Plan was also
followed. The main elements are the prefabricated reinforced concrete ceiling soffits and internal panels, and the reconstituted stone panels that are used to form the external envelope of the ward areas. This gives an extensive area of exposed thermal mass, which reduces energy use. The reconstituted stone panel system utilises recycled aggregate, cement, and sand substitution with crushed glass. The demolitions material was re-used where
appropriate. This included some of the Bathgate stone from the locally listed buildings, which was used in gabion walls in the landscape design. Other materials, such as timber and
brickwork from the buildings with little architectural interest, were used to form part of the bio-diverse brown roofs to the therapies building. Orientation The building’s orientation was designed to optimise solar again and balance this with maximisation of natural daylight to enhance a therapeutic environment. This is achieved using a shallow plan throughout, with rooflights to the upper storeys. This also allows the optimisation of natural ventilation, as the majority of rooms have windows that open, minimising the amount of mechanical ventilation required. Energy The scheme incorporates a combined heat and power system, as well as natural ventilation systems and thermally efficient design – together reducing the building’s energy use. High-level windows in common parts allow for walls to be illuminated with natural light and minimum glare, while making use of passive solar gain in the winter months. Water The new unit is on previously developed land which is above the flood plain. The incorporation of fittings and sensors that moderate water flow will reduce the use of
water within the building, while the incorporation of a bio-diverse roof and green roof reduces surface water run-off, and helps decrease the heat island effect. Hard landscaping within non-patient areas
extensively uses porous paving to reduce the impact on surface water run-off into local storm-water systems. In areas of non-porous stone paving, used for a high quality pedestrian finish, water is drained to gullies, which discharge into a ‘blanket’ layer underneath. In addition, there are attenuation tanks underneath the fire access route on the site’s eastern edge to allow permeation into the underlying chalk medium. This will accommodate 1:100 year events and 30% climate change. The use of building systems management software will reduce water consumption through monitoring its usage and early leak detection. Each en suiteWC area is provided with automatic shut-off valves linked to presence detectors, which isolate the water supply when the area is not occupied. The WCs have 4.5 litre capacity, and the showers and washhand basins incorporate flow restrictors. Movement Cycling is encouraged through secure cycle storage and changing facilities. Local bus service information is displayed and updated in real time. Car park space numbers have been reduced, with a main focus on increasing and encouraging public transport use. Bio-diversity The landscape design incorporates and enhances the local ecology through the specification of vegetation that relies on annual water precipitation, thus avoiding straining local water resources. The introduction of a bio- diverse roof encourages the increase of local insect and bird species. The existing TPO trees and high value landscape architecture were enhanced through specification of native plant and tree species. BREEAM The project achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.
Mark Carter
Mark Carter RIBA is one of PM Devereux’s senior healthcare directors specialising in designing for mental health. He has worked across a wide range of specialist sub-sectors,
including: medium secure, low secure, PICU, adult acute, children and adolescent, rehabilitation, detox, and older persons, including functional and dementia. He and his team look to develop innovative and appropriate mental health design solutions. In addition to the Farnham Road scheme, his most recent projects include a ‘cutting-edge’ 15 bed Child & Adolescent Mental Health Unit in Cornwall, and an 18-bed adult acute unit for Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, built using modular construction.
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