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Nature has a hand in Alder Hey centre for young mental health

Twin buildings consolidate mental health facilities for children and young people in Cullinan Studio’s holistic, patient-centred scheme, which prioritises nature and natural materials

ARCHITECT’S STATEMENT
Lucy Brittain, partner, Cullinan Studio

The Catkin Centre and Sunflower House, designed for the Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust by Cullinan Studio and delivered by 10architect, offer a groundbreaking approach to mental health care facilities for children and young people. The project consolidates, in two cohesive buildings, services that were previously dispersed across the hospital site and the city.

The scheme enables enhanced efficiencies, promoting a more effective and comprehensive care model. The Catkin Centre is a beacon for outpatient services, housing facilities for needs including ASD, ADHD and crisis care. Calm spaces – such as quiet rooms, family therapy rooms, and spaces for art and music therapy – foster engagement, healing and creativity. Sunflower House complements this with a nurturing ‘home-from-home’ for young patients with complex mental health conditions, featuring a 12-bed inpatient unit tailored specifically for 5-13-year-olds – one of only six in the UK.

The integration of these facilities in the newly landscaped Springfield Park leverages the therapeutic benefits of nature. The buildings themselves, with their projecting bay windows and courtyard gardens, not only offer restorative views to nature but also physically embody the healing essence of nature. This connection is further enhanced through the use of natural materials such as timber, which adds a warm, tactile dimension to interior spaces.

The architectural layout diverges from traditional hospital designs, which can feel maze-like and impersonal. Cullinan Studio’s cloistered arrangement around courtyards fosters a sense of community and openness. This both aids wayfinding and reduces anxiety by creating a more welcoming and homely atmosphere. This placement of buildings, which sit above ground level to create undercroft parking, ensures privacy and dignity for patients, while external materials and colours harmonise with the natural surroundings, reinforcing the connection to nature.

In the entrance waiting area, a robust wooden structure that emphasises sustainability and patient wellbeing creates a dynamic choice of social or secluded places to wait. Artworks by Lucy Casson are both decorative and functional, enhancing privacy and adding an element of playfulness.

The Catkin Centre and Sunflower House show the transformative power of patient-centred design in healthcare and set a new standard for healthcare architecture, demonstrating a profound commitment to the wellbeing of patients, visitors and staff. 

Airtightness at 50Pa 5 m³/h.m² 
Heating/hot water load 15.55 kWh/m²/yr 
Annual CO2 emissions 25.8 kgCO2eq/m² 
GIFA 3,073m² 
Project value  £20 million 
Design life 60 years 
Form of contract NEC 3

Credits

Client Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust
Architect Cullinan Studio
Delivery architect 10Architect (post RIBA Stage 4A)
Landscape architect Turkington Martin (up to Stage 3+) / DEP (post Stage 3+)
Structural engineer Buro Happold (up to Stage 3+) / Scott Hughes (post Stage 3+)
Services engineer Buro Happold (up to Stage 3+) / Lorne Stewart (post Stage 3+)
Quantity surveyor Gleeds
Acoustic engineer Buro Happold (up to Stage 3+) / Cundall Acoustics (post Stage 3+)
Fire engineer Buro Happold 
Artist Lucy Casson
Main contractor Galliford Try

 

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