Birch Hill Centre For Mental Health – Arcadis, Kennedy Fitzgerald Architects
Nominee Information
The Northern Health and Social Care Trust provides a wide range of medical, health, mental health and social care services within community and hospital settings for children, adolescents, and adults. Northern Ireland’s largest geographical Trust serving a population of 480,000, the outline business case for a new 134 bed Mental Health Inpatient Service on the Antrim Hospital site was approved in 2020. The ambitious ten-year plan for capital investment includes reconfiguring the hospital site to include mental health services.
Viewed by the Trust as a centre of mental health excellence, Birch Hill Centre for Mental Health will accommodate 134 beds across eight wards: Adult Acute, Psychiatric Intensive Care, Dementia and Addictions. Currently at RIBA Stage 3, co-production lies at the heart of the Trust and design team’s approach – from developing the brief and service model, to realising final hospital designs. Service users are equal partners in the design process.
Making full use of the 16-acre green field site adjacent to Antrim Hospital, with a residential boundary to the west, the design fully supports the Trust’s vision of a ‘village’ concept, where paired wards are connected by covered walkways around a civic square, with an activity hall and park area for outdoor activities. A looped nature trail around the east of the site, provides a safe walking route for service users, families and staff with views of the Antrim countryside. The majority of service user bedrooms will have views to open countryside or mature woodland. The design supports the personal journey of the service user on their recovery pathway whilst also providing a safe and uplifting environment for staff to work. The balance between therapy and safety has been carefully considered using evidence-based design tools.
Birch Hill is “a good neighbour”, taking full advantage of the site and integration with the landscape. The low-rise building solution nestles into the rural environment minimizing visual impact with roof plant zones set back from building edges to reduce their perceived scale. Areas such as the main entrance are higher to create a prominent double height portal. The need for clinical and service user accommodation to be on the ground floor allows more day and sunlight to penetrate the spaces between the buildings and allow views out to the wider countryside. A roof void servicing strategy with accessible service zones above wards allows the Trust to undertake as much maintenance work as possible outside of service user areas to minimise disruption.
Public consultation with the local community has been carried out since the inception of the design and full planning permission was successfully achieved in July 2024.
The integrated consultant team has worked closely with the Trust staff, service users and Health Estates Design Advisors – carrying out visits to other facilities to inform the brief, testing products and designs through the construction of sample rooms and undertaking AEDET reviews.
The design supports flexibility and can be adaptable for future use and expansion and is on target to deliver BREEAM ‘Excellent’ or beyond.
