A new 60-bed adult acute mental health unit at Farnham Road Hospital in Guildford, designed by PM Devereux and built by Laing O’Rourke, has opened on the site of an existing mental health service provided by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The architects explained: “The original site housed many different building types and ages. The main building to Farnham Road is Grade II listed. Some others were locally listed, were considered to have local architectural or historical interest, and fell within the category of curtilage buildings. A sensitive planning negotiation was thus required.”
The facility provides three adult acute wards and one psychiatric intensive care unit on two floors, arranged around secure courtyard gardens. A ‘front-of-house’ building includes a reception and café, shared therapy areas, staff administration, a tribunal suite, and FM areas.
A two-storey gallery connects the wards to the other areas, and links the whole to the retained Grade II-listed building housing the older person’s wards and other facilities. This enables the different levels on the site to be accommodated, while providing a public and private access to all parts of the building to maintain privacy and dignity.
The wards are all en suite single room accommodation, with day spaces that have dual aspect to optimise natural daylight. The construction utilised the Laing O’Rourke Explore system of prefabricated concrete panels assembled on site.