19 May 2007
New mental health facility completed

The new Oak Unit at Middleton St George Hospital was designed and project managed by Gelder and Kitchen for Affinity Healthcare. The building showcases our in-depth understanding of the requirements of this specialist sector.

The Oak Unit is a medium secure mental health facility, designed to have light and spacious interiors so that it is calming for the patients, with abundant natural light supplied through skylights and large glazed areas. The building consists of two separate wings, each with thirteen single rooms, one side being a PICU – Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit.

From the front, however, there is a little to suggest the levels of security that are an integral part of the design. The building is much lower at the front, and its welcoming appearance gives the sense of an ordinary hospital wing or even a school. The raised roofs to the rear cleverly conceal the 20 foot fencing around the rear external areas, removing potentially negative associations for both new arrivals and visitors. 

Visibility is a key factor in much of the design – for example, the rooms are designed so that the position and shape of the en-suite allows the entire bedroom to be visible to staff monitoring the clients.

The project forms part of an ongoing development of the site. The final project value was £3m.

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