Design Features – Regional Mental Health Centre

The two-storey Regional Mental Health Centre has a welcoming atrium and “Town Square” in the centre of its complex for patients and their families to visit. The mental health inpatient units or “lodges” are interconnected by a corridor system that creates secure inner courtyards helping to create this village-like environment.

At the heart of the Town Square, a two-storey patient amenity and therapeutic support building houses a client services mall, gymnasium, workshops, psychiatric offices, clinical space and administrative functions. The sloping nature of the site allows the design to locate all lodges at “grade level” for ease of access to the outdoors.

The design is based on a best practice psycho-social and recovery models, which provide the best clinical outcomes possible. Uniting the two environments facilitates interaction that will help to break down misconceptions about mental illness and prepare patients for reintegration into the community.

The design also facilitates a focus on the importance of rehabilitation, re-learning the activities of daily living and gradual reintegration into society. The inpatient units are smaller (eight to 16 patients), and are equipped with kitchens, living rooms, private bedrooms and ground-level access to the outdoors; all providing a more healing and home-like environment.