Elgar Unit, Hadley PICU

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Case Study - Elgar Unit, Hadley PICU

Projects: Newtown Hospital Worcester - Hadley PICU
Client: Worcestershire NHS Mental Health Partnership
Design team: The Design Büro – lead Helen Whinray
Laidlaw doorsets and anti-ligature systems for high profile PICU

An existing ward at Newtown Hospital Worcester was the subject of a £1,500,000 refurbishment to create a 9 bed, police assessment PICU.

 The project challenge was to design a high quality healing environment with a suitably robust envelope within the existing building fabric, ensuring that the therapeutic and operational environment was not compromised. The highly detailed interior involved the existing shell being entirely stripped out, ceiling heights raised, rooms widened and openings formed in order for break out spaces to be created. Blind spots were also eliminated to improve visibility throughout the unit.

With its extensive experience of mental health interior design commissions as well as many others in traditional medical care, the Design Büro worked closely with Laidlaw Solutions to provide a variety of product solutions. 

63 Laminated Orbis Doorsets were supplied in Bio Oak, with frames, door lippings and glazing beads in American White Oak. As a psychiatric intensive care unit, anti-ligature door hardware was a key element of the specification and Orbis Knob Sets, Finger Grip Pull Handles and Lock Escutcheons, all in Silk Anodised Aluminium, met the required standards for lightly sprung lock cases and tamper-proof fixings. Other doors were fitted with electro-magnetic door operation to comply with fire safety, DDA and Approved Document M requirements, and with glazing in which key-operable louvre vision panels were fitted.

The project has been submitted as an entry to the biennial Guild of Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards, to be held at Lords’ Cricket Ground on 30th March 2009. The awards, which have attracted a record number of entries, recognise design excellence in architectural ironmongery specification projects and highlight the importance of the partnership between the architect and architectural ironmonger.