belfast acute mental health facility
belfast
completed: under construction, expected completion 2016
client: rpp architects and belfast nhs trust
size: 3 hectares
RPP Architects were appointed by the Belfast health and Social Care Trust to design a new £20 million, 80-bed acute mental hospital in Belfast. Together with Richard Murphy Architects, Devereux Architects and AECOM, our team ethos has been to create a positive space for healing, where patients experience inclusion and normalisation.
Recognised as being core to the healing process, gardens feature in every aspect of hospital life. From first arrival, patients, staff and visitors experience hospital life as a journey between gardens rather than dull corridors. The unique layout created us the opportunity to design a series of garden courtyards, highly visible from inside thanks to the fully glazed walls. The contemporary gardens feature open lawns, intimate seating areas surrounded by planting, outdoor therapy spaces and the repeated use of water to bring sound and movement to each garden space. The bedroom within the facility overlook a private garden, designed not to be accessible to patients and visitors, but to be a haven for wildlife, with window seats specifically designed for quiet moments of rest and relaxation.
Construction is underway and we are excited to see these unique gardens take shape during 2016.