The recent Walkergate Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a revolutionary combination of facilities for people with neurological impairment, and a therapeutic physical environment is the study of their impact on patient outcomes.
P+HS Architects provided the vision for the 13,000 sq m site, working for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust under a PFI contract. The priority was to bring previously marginalised facilities for neuro-rehabiliation and neuropsychiatry together into a unique centre of care.
Conceived in timber, brick and render, the building’s presence on the street is dominated by the cylindrical form of its main entrance area. Inside, a sculpture by artist Kisa Kawakami in the reception area greets patients and visitors, the first in a series of artworks and special features punctuating the design.
An internal courtyard is the focus for treatment at Walkergate. Inpatient and outpatient facilities are clustered around it, as well as a hydrotherapy pool, mobility workshops, and a timber-framed multi-denominational chapel. Natural light is maximised as far as possible.
The courtyard is intended to help patients recuperate and communicate in an attractive environment, as some relearn physical skills. Artists have helped design galvanised steel hedges to complement a sequence of wheelchair pathways, access paths and landscaped features.
With a notable improvement in staff and patient morale, work is underway to study the effect of the new environment on patients’ recovery times.
“The greatest satisfaction has been in bringing together patients who had all been isolated at the fringes, and bringing an improvement for all of them”, says P+HS’s Chris Potter. “ It ‘s long been established that allowing people the maximum light and communication will obviously help their state of mind”.
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