Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN
DESIGN FOR MENTAL
HEALTH FACILITIES
July 2014
Fiona Stanley Hospital Adult Mental Health Unit, Perth,
Australia. (The Fiona Stanley Hospital Design Collaboration
comprising design firms HASSELL, Silver Thomas Hanley
and Hames Sharley.)
Contents
Section
01 Introduction 01
02 A brief history of mental health 02
03 Current practice 03
04 Future directions 04
05 Design principles 06
06 References 11
Contact
Michaela Sheahan, Researcher
msheahan@hassellstudio.com
HASSELL
61 Little Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC
Australia 3000
T + 61 3 8102 3000
hassellstudio.com
@HASSELL_Studio
HASSELL Limited
24 007 711 435
HASSELL
2014
iv
Community Recovery Program Future
Mentaldirections in design
Health Facilities,
for
Melbourne, Australia. Imagery bymental
HASSELL.health facilities
01 Introduction
HASSELL 1
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02 A brief history
of mental health
Each iteration of development in mental Urban and site design Densification is a significant political
health treatment throughout the years In conjunction with trends in treatment, issue in Australia and is strongly endorsed
has represented an increased the form and location of mental health in all of Australias major capital city
understanding of the complexities of facilities are likely to change also, as a strategic planning documents. However,
mental health. While buildings have been result of emerging urban design policies while low density is much criticised, it
small, then large (then small again), and practices. should be remembered that very high
grounds have been non-existent then density also has a downside.
sprawling, and care has been At the individual development scale, the
institutionalised then community based, courtyard model, which offers access to A report written for the National Heart
architects have intuitively understood that external spaces, is increasingly prevalent Foundation of Australia (NHF) 13
the built environment has an effect on in supported living environments. There determines that higher density
patients. may also be a move toward higher density development can have a detrimental
development that fits into the urban form effect on mental health through the
Treatment of our cities, in line with current trends in location, design and construction of
Mental health services delivery is urban policy. housing.
increasingly reliant on the community
based care model. With the current There is an increasing amount of research Stressors that come from poor design -
underlying philosophy for mental health being undertaken into the links between crowding, noise, poor indoor air quality
treatment - to minimise restraint urban design and health. The growing and light - can all adversely contribute to
providing the basis for this model, it incidence of diabetes, heart disease, the home environment. Evidence also
seems logical that the trend for as much obesity and mental illness has been increasingly suggests that people with
treatment as possible to be carried out in related in part to poor city design. A access to quality green space are
the home and in low acuity settings will healthy cities movement is gradually healthier. Being outside can promote
continue. gaining momentum within the health and mental well-being, relieve stress,
design industries to promote the key overcome isolation, improve social
This has the additional and not urban design principles behind successful cohesion and alleviate physical problems.
inconsiderable benefit of reducing costs cities as identified by a report by the City
for government and private providers of Melbourne11 : Density; Mixed Use; While the NHF study does not address
alike. This may mean a greater reliance on Connectivity; Character; Adaptability, and accommodation for the mentally ill, the
drugs to suppress symptoms, and may Public Realm. results illustrate the importance of urban
also mean a further re-organisation of the design for the general population and can
community mental health sector. A 2009 CABE report 12 (Future Health: inform design for those already suffering
Sustainable Places for Health and mental illness.
Building design Well-being) surmises that good health is
The trend away from large insitutional determined by a range of factors many
buildings is almost complete, with of them linked to the quality, accessibility
treatment of the vast majority of mental and sustainability of our physical
health illnesses being offered in domestic environment.
scaled residential facilities (sometimes on
hospital sites), community outreach and
outpatient facilities, with an increasing
emphasis on personal freedom within the
limits of the acuity of the illness.
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04 Future directions
In Victoria, specialised facilities for Co-location is a trend in primary health It is likely that technology will affect
particular age groups are becoming more care delivery that combines leisure, retail mental health design considerably in the
common. The Youth PARC in Melbourne is and residential multi-use buildings in future.
one of the first in the state for this order to maximise efficiencies of services,
particular age group, and it is anticipated but also to foster a less institutionalised In buildings for dementia sufferers,
that this will be followed by gender sense of place. The co-location of motion and pressure sensors enable staff
separated units. different health services is also gaining to know when a patient is out of bed. It is
currency, with emergency departments possible that this could overcome the
Another project, the Coral Balmoral linking to mental health facilities to intrusive and labour intensive checks
facility in Melbourne, is a specialist ensure smooth transitions for agitated throughout the night on acute patients in
psychiatric treatment facility for veterans, patients. mental health.
and is considered one of the foremost
trauma units in Australia. It is an early The Mental Health Centre at Fiona Stanley Individual GPS devices may help to
example of the courtyard model, and Hospital in Perth enables mental health monitor patient movement, and remote
includes inpatient, day care and patients coming to the Emergency diagnosis and monitoring may become
administration. There are common spaces, Department to be recognised early and prevalent.
dining, lounge and multi-purpose room streamed to a specialist facility. This
between the two patient courtyards. The reduces the workload and congestion in
inpatient building was designed to take the ED and allows speedier and more
another floor in the future to ensure effective treatment for mental health.
adaptability of the facility.
The Gold Coast University Hospital Mental
Health Unit is co-located with a major
teaching hospital and has four varying
acuities of patients in one building,
including forensic and a specific area
for women and children. Patients
accompanied by a case worker have a
dedicated admissions suite to avoid
congestion in the Emergency Department.
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05 Design principles
Elimination of Environmental Stressors While natural light has been identified as This was backed up by a study in a US
In the pursuit of recovery, mental health crucial in maximising recovery potential, hospital that attributed a significant
patients must first be comfortable. Noise, flooding rooms with too much light in amount of time and money to direction-
glare, and air quality are among the many inappropriate locations is likely to cause giving by staff; an estimated 4500 staff
environmental variables that must be discomfort, as is poor indoor air quality. hours, approximately equivalent to two
considered in the design of healthcare Research particular to indoor air quality in full-time positions.16
facilities. psychiatric facilities is not well studied,
but an equivalent study in commercial In response to these types of
Several research studies have identified buildings shows that improved indoor inefficiencies, health care facilities are
that noise is a major cause of sleep environment quality contributed to now developing way finding systems to
disturbance, and there is evidence to reductions in absenteeism due to asthma, include administrative and procedural
suggest that noise increases stress in respiratory allergies, depression and levels, external cues, local information
patients, inducing high blood pressure stress. 17 and overall space planning.
and increased heart rates. This is
particularly pertinent in double or Way finding is also a critical element in
multiple bed rooms where noise is the elimination of stress for both patients
generated by other patients and staff.16 and their visitors, who may be unfamiliar
with the facility. Researchers found that
The issue of multiple versus single rooms patients in a hospital that provided
is more complex than noise however, with orientation aids on admission were more
social benefits and surveillance to be self-reliant and made fewer demands on
considered. Thus, design interventions staff than uninformed patients, who rated
that minimise or eliminate noise the hospital less favourably and were
throughout the facility, regardless of found to have elevated heart rates.9,16
bedroom configuration, are important.
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05 Design principles
Concern for patient safety and security is It is possible for individual facilities to
a constant factor in all design for mental have different degrees of restraint in a
health. These principles are significant single building. Acute units may have
and intrinsically linked. secure isolation rooms to deal with violent
patients, but variation in acuity design is
Safety also applicable to residential buildings. In
Safety specifically addresses the need to the Prevention and Recovery Care Units
keep staff and patients out of harms way HASSELL has designed in Melbourne, for
through physical elements in design, while instance, there are two different bedroom
security allows the freedom of movement layouts providing different levels of
for patients within the facility without observation.
compromising treatment and the safety of
the patients, staff, and the community. The degree of restraint for patient safety
and security is a clinical judgement. A
There are significant crossovers between comprehensive understanding of each
these two categories, but fundamental patient profile will include consideration
safety issues are addressed through of the risk of self-harm, the likelihood of
anti-ligature design, anti-slip surfaces, absconding or violence and the likely
universal access, ergonomics and progress towards rehabilitation. A menu of
adherence to all the relevant standards in architectural options for acuity may assist
building construction. clinicians when considering what is best
for an individual patient.
Security
Good security design allows the freedom
of movement for patients within the limits
of their condition. The more serious the
illness, the more overt will be measures to
ensure patients do not harm themselves.
Design must also consider the protection
of staff, other patients, visitors and
members of the public.
Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC), Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC),
Youth Mental Health Facilities, Melbourne, Australia. Adult Mental Health Facilities, Melbourne,
Photography by Peter Bennetts. Australia. Photography by Peter Bennetts.
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05 Design Principles
Group interaction There is also strong evidence that where Post-occupancy evaluation of the Gold
The value of social interaction for single bed rooms are provided, patient to Coast University Hospital, where the
psychiatric patients is well researched, patient interaction can be increased, and mental health facility is based on the
and varies according to the type of illness stress levels lowered, by providing lounges courtyard model, is indicating that patient
and the demographic of the patients. with comfortable furniture arranged in stay has been reduced significantly as
There are two aspects to socialisation small flexible groupings.16 well as the incidence of violence. Other
with other patients, and with visitors. studies indicate that patients and family
Access to outdoor spaces that are large who use hospital gardens report positive
Culture has a large bearing on how people enough for different social and cultural mood change and reduced stress.16
behave in mental health settings - privacy groups to inhabit is also important.
with and for family are critical. Social Smokers, indigenous groups, refugees, As an added bonus, staff in facilities with
interaction with family and friends is an antenatal women and dementia patients gardens can benefit from nature. Gardens
important element in many treatment all have particular requirements that may in the workplace can reduce stress and
programs, and research indicates that necessitate separation, privacy, or improve outcomes through fostering
single rooms are significantly better than security. social connection and providing
multi-bed rooms for accommodating opportunities for positive escape from
visitors. Multi-bed rooms may even deter Access to nature stressful clinical settings.
family presence because they greatly Many recently designed mental health
reduce privacy and restrict visiting facilities focus strongly on links to nature,
hours16. through both views and physical Conclusion
interaction. A significant body of research
While some patients sharing the same is dedicated to this area of health design, Mental health facility design is constantly
bedroom provide each other with social consistently finding that viewing nature evolving but the principles outlined here
support, research shows that the induces positive emotional and provide the basis for a humanistic solution
presence of a roommate is more likely to physiological changes and diminishes that seeks a calm and healing
be a source of stress rather than support. negative emotions through changes in environment for the vulnerable in our
blood pressure and heart activity.16 society.
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accessed 21 March 2012, www.jstor.org/pstable/20534502
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and History, Vol 11, No 1. Australian Asylums and their Histories pp46-64 Website, accessed 19 March
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http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/http:/www.cabe.org.uk/health
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Minimising the Harm, National Heart Foundation of Australia, Melbourne. Website, accessed 14 May,
2012, www.heartfoundation.org.au/density
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Hospital of the 21st Century: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity, Center for Health Systems and Design,
College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, and College of Architecture, Georgia Institute of
Technology, Website, accessed 14 June, 2012, www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=15836 Note : Several
studies (19.1 to 19.21) referenced in the text are summarised in this comprehensive literature review
paper on healthcare design.
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Productivity, American Journal of Public Health, September 2012, Vol 100, No.9
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www.behavioral.net/article/does-your-color-scheme-really-matter
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April 2005 vol 8 no 7, RCN Publishing
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