Kingfisher Court nominated for Design in Mental Health Awards

In 2014 Kingfisher Court opened its doors in Radlett, Hertfordshire, representing a £42 million investment in mental health. The scheme provides world class, state of the art facilities that aim to provide the best mental healthcare and learning disability services in the country. It has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s Design in Mental Health Awards, Project of the Year and Service User Experience.

The mental health facility is the largest structure in the UK and Europe made entirely out of Structural Insulated Panels.

Set within a tranquil woodland landscape, the architecture blends into the environment by following the natural contours of the land and using natural materials. 3 miles of external soleplate and over 6,000 structural panels, if laid flat, would cover an area equivalent to five full sized football pitches.

Huge 6 x 3 metre panels were custom designed, engineered and manufactured by Innovaré to make the unit extremely energy efficient and build the entire structure in under 23 weeks. 11,000 square metres of SIP was installed per week with minimal waste produced as a result with this modern method of construction. Any ‘waste’ produced during manufacture is correctly categorised as unspent materials.

Removing the number of joints in the structure gave the building its airtightness and reduced thermal bridging, creating the ideal thermally comfortable internal environment. With much of the construction taking place in factory-controlled conditions, the disruption to patients in the existing surrounding was minimised.

The flexible and adaptable nature of the  structural system facilitated a design which drew upon international best practice in order to optimise the productivity of the staff, creating the most healing and effective therapeutic environments to support people on their recovery journey from mental illness. The result feels personal and far removed from a large institution or hospital.

Light, bright spaces promote relaxation and maximum benefit from the high standard of treatment. A calm and peaceful environment was created by the use of vaulted ceilings throughout and floor to ceiling windows. The clean, open spaces give the essence of a safe environment. A sun path study determined the orientation of bedrooms and treatment rooms to maximise solar gain. 86 single en-suite rooms give comfort, privacy and dignity to people to aid their recovery.

The inspiring project demonstrated what can be achieved by lowering costs of building and maintaining facilities through structural insulated panels. After visiting the completed unit in 2014, Deputy PM Nick Clegg was inspired enough to make a pledge devoting an extra £50m to mental health research per year.

The winners of the awards are set to be announced on Tuesday 19 May at a ceremony at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, as part of the Design in Mental Health Conference & Exhibition.