Within the un-insulated shell of a former warehouse, with no drainage, water services or mechanical services, C.F. Møller Architects worked side-by-side with the NHS client and the contractor to deliver a flagship facility for the provision of mental health services in North London.

The brief for the project was to deliver mental health consultation and treatment rooms on the ground floor with new open-plan, flexible workspaces and meeting rooms on the floor above.

Flexible and non-institutional

The project introduces flexible office accommodation design that were new to the C&I NHS Trust such as shared workstations, ‘hot-desking’, break-out kitchens for team meetings, bookable meeting rooms and ‘pods’ for impromptu discussions/team working. The result is that the Trust’s administrative staff and various community mental healthcare teams can work out of a flexible hub that is designed to bring teams together in a collaborative environment.

All the consultation rooms and meeting rooms are placed around the perimeter of the building where there is the most daylight and views out to make the experience of the space as positive as possible. The work scope includes interior design, and there is selected a variety of furniture and surfaces to make the environment as comfortable and non-institutional as possible, with care for details and finishes without compromising hygienic requirements and within a limited budget.