REVIEW


But he warned that design was


taking a back seat to budgets and this was threatening the success of many potentially-game-changing projects. He said: “These are challenging times


and as well as looking at how we can save money, we have to consider how we are going to transform services. “Normally people try to save as much


as they can, but if you do not get it right, you are going to have to spend more further down the line. “I don’t think people think about the


future. “I’ve seen PICUs which have had


to close down just two years after they opened because changes need to be made. “You might have to spend more


money up front, but you have to get it right first time.” This was also a problem highlighted


by another of the speakers, Andrew Arnold, a director of Gilling Dod Architects, who was giving an overview of the challenges facing designers of psychiatric facilities for children and young people.


A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY He said: “With child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) there is a very small window of opportunity to help people. “We’ve all done projects where they’ve


said ‘this is all we have the money for’, but we have got to start understanding that we’ve got to get the job right first time or we are wasting our time.” During his presentation, which


included overviews of successful CAMHS projects across the UK; Arnold also shared a heart-wrenching true- life story about his experiences as the parent of a child receiving mental health support within a psychiatric facility. He said: “Experiencing that building as a service user was a complete about turn. “Although I knew design was


important, it has really made me think about how we design environments for our next generation.”


18 mhdf magazine


Other speakers focused on dementia


design and creating homes that would help to support older people with dementia in the community. Bill Halsall, at architect at HLP


Design, focused on the creation of Chris and Sally’s House – a recently-launched demonstration home illustrating how residential properties can be adapted to better support vulnerable people. He said: “It’s not easy to come up


with a design brief for dementia as every person is different, but we know there are general principles – safety, security, familiarity etc. “We need to create a distinct sense


of space and identity in an environment that is legible, has clarity, and is easy to navigate.”


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