An air of serenity without any implication of judgmental sanctity
KKE Architects for St David's Hospice Care
Contract value: £4.45m
GIA: 1,665m²
Cost per m²: £2,673
This 15-bed hospice owes much of its special quality to the unusually insightful client. Its brief for the new building draws on the operation of the charity’s other centres and international best practice for end-of-life care. Nothing matters more to the patient than the feelings of the family that they leave behind, so it follows that the focus of design should be on the experience of visitors as much, if not more, than on the patients themselves.
The hospice is beautifully calm and serene. It achieves an air of spirituality while avoiding any implication of judgmental sanctity. Spaces for withdrawal and contemplation follow the secular spiritual approach. The use of natural materials defies sterile clinical convention, while the patients’ rooms have a gentle domestic character. Clinical fixtures are unobtrusive. Furniture and built-in fittings are refined and well constructed. For such a complex facility this level of design control is a terrific achievement.
Client of the Year sponsored by Tobermore
See more winners in the RIBA Regional Awards – Wales