Design in Mental Health: Meeting the challenges together

Whether you are looking at adding new buildings, considering refurbishing existing buildings or ongoing maintenance work Design in Mental Health 2016 is here to help you source information, solutions and ideas. The event consists of the Design in Mental Health... View Article

Versatile timber is a healthy choice

The construction and materials used in mental health facilities are at the core of how care is ultimately delivered – a critical factor with a direct effect on the physical and psychological wellbeing of the end-users. Timber technology can be... View Article

Throwing light on dementia design

Oliver Buchan, head of innovation at Luxonic, argues that, while the lit environment is often an underestimated consideration when creating a dementia-friendly building, relatively simple lighting solutions can be very effective When designing a facility with dementia sufferers in mind... View Article

There’s more to paint than meets the eye

Dulux Trade Brand Manager Daniel Hall explains how selecting the most appropriate paint types and finishes for different spaces within a healthcare building can create enhanced environments for patients and staff A healthcare building is a working facility with a... View Article

Safe furniture design should also be comfortable and stylish

With an increasing focus on creating stimulating mental health environments which nurture recovery, intelligent furniture design is playing a more important role than ever writes Neville Byng, sales and marketing consultant with healthcare furniture specialist Pineapple Contracts In mental health and other challenging... View Article

Focus on the right flooring for dementia

John Mellor, Polyflor’s Market Manager for safety flooring, explains why selecting a floor covering embodying modern, dementia-friendly design principles is increasingly important and spotlights the research behind the thinking According to latest figures from the Alzheimer’s Society, more than 850,000... View Article

How dementia-friendly is your building… really?

Poor research and verification means newly-built healthcare facilities are often wrongly claimed to be dementia-friendly, argues Professor June Andrews, director of the influential Dementia Development Services Centre (DSDC) at the University of Stirling Architects make a difference to how people... View Article

Time to rise to the dementia challenge

Britain can learn from the Japanese experience of designing and building for dementia care, argues Jitesh Patel, Senior Development Manager, Kajima Partnerships. Every three seconds someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with dementia. In the UK there are over 850,000 people living with... View Article

Suspended Animation – Hotel Hotel, Canberra

Thousands of pieces of reclaimed timber were used to create a “directional vortex” and a monolithic grand staircase for the award-winning Hotel Hotel interior in Canberra. Stephen Cousins reports Walking up the grand staircase and into the lobby of Hotel... View Article

Life’s a beach

There’s something new on the menu in Liverpool city centre in the shape of a bar and restaurant that’s inspired by an iconic beach resort for America’s wealthy elite. Jess Unwin investigates. A new bar and restaurant that’s inspired by... View Article

Is it refurb or rebuild?

The Bartlett School of Architecture will move into its new 22 Gordon Street building this autumn, but its predecessor home will be lurking within, explains Mark Smulian. How radically can a building be altered before it crosses the boundary from... View Article

My view – March

In a critical look at town planning, Matt Greenhalgh of CPMG Architects argues the need to transform ‘spaces’ into ‘places’. View: Matt Greenhalgh, CPMG Architects In studying and practising architecture in Nottingham for 16 years, I’ve seen the cityscape change... View Article

Effective access control: shared buildings

Neil Thomas, national sales manager at Videx – who has been providing door entry and access control systems to housing associations for almost 30 years ­– addresses the key issues that need to be considered when choosing door entry systems... View Article

Septic Tanks vs Sewage Treatment: How to choose the best solution

By Dave Vincent, Kingspan Klargester‘s operations director. Kingspan Klargester is one of the UK’s marketing-leading brand offering a full range of waste water solutions. It’s estimated that around 10,000 people became self-builders last year – and numbers look set to grow swiftly... View Article

Easy does it…

Clarissa Youden, associate director of Total Home Environment discusses how good ventilation can reduce building maintenance and fuel poverty, while offering dramatic health benefits So you’ve got old housing stock, with complaints of mould, condensation and high heating bills. While... View Article

Cradle to cradle: Making sense of sustainability

Cradle to cradle sustainability is one of those terms which has been bandied about for some time now, but what does it actually mean and how can it be applied inreality? John Dunnington of Euroclad looks at how to ensure your... View Article