Step Exhibitions
North View – Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT, Gilling Dod Architects & IHP
Nominee Information
North View is GMMH NHSFT’s new 150 bed, £105M Adult Acute inpatient unit, North Manchester General hospital. The scheme forms part of the NHP Masterplan for the site which reimagines a multi-faceted/holistic approach to healthcare delivery at the heart of the Community.
NV was designed/co-produced alongside Service Users/clinical stakeholders/nursing leads with key drivers/outputs/themes directly influencing the finished design. The design is totally aligned with the clinical model to ensure it delivers maximum positive clinical outcomes/productive-therapeutic environments/sustainable revenue models. The scheme won the Best Service User engagement award at DMH 2022. Bespoke Service User art is employed throughout the completed design to create a real sense of place and authenticity.
Fully immersive VR/augmented reality was used in the design process to engage with nurses/service users and helped finalise spatial designs also aiding the training/transition planning at handover.
The ward typology design delivers future clinical flexibility, consistent risk/nursing strategies, and utilises a consistent/regular template albeit adapted for pathway specific drivers on particular wards (ie Dementia design/LD/PICU)
The scale/size of the development presented unique challenges and with a limited budget, design efficiency/delivery innovation was critical. Constraints of the site meant the design had to include an innovative split-level/multi-storey design to ensure site fit, with first floor gardens created offering ready access to fresh air/green space with no loss of quality.
The landscape design provides healing/calming green spaces for service-users as well as a green buffer/public realm around the building, positively greening the brownfield site/adding to the BNG. The approach ‘piazza’ is designed to give a transition-zone for vulnerable/anxious Service-users entering/exiting the building as well as positively contributing to the placemaking/civic realm of the masterplan.
The overall aesthetic/visual impact is one of a more low-slung residential feel, with the building outline undulating to mask its overall size/feel more human to the end user. The use of the topography helps to hide the multi-story aspect and keeps the overall heights as low as possible.
NV has an extensive therapy provision including a fully immersive 4D studio space allowing inpatients access to the latest technologies around therapy/rehab/recovery in a safe and accessible way.
Key metrics from GMMH re the building’s performance in use:
- 50% Reduction in Length of stay (LOS)
- 40% Reduction in number of incidents and restraints
- 33% reduction in spend on additional observations
- Reduction to zero in people placed in out of area beds
- Improved Service user satisfaction
- Increased involvement of service users in research
- 12% improvement in PLACE score for privacy and dignity (to national average)
- Increase in service users engaging digital solutions.
North View is the first fully electric/Net Zero Carbon AMHU in the county and is rated BREEAM Excellent. This is achieved by utilising heating and cooling reverse cycle air-source heat pumps/solar thermal hot water production/photo voltaic/high-performing envelope u-values/natural ventilation design/all-electric power source and MMC approach.
