Dundee mental health facility completed

Published: 24-Apr-2015

Dudhope House will provide round-the-clock care for young people with mental health problems

BAM Construction has completed the design and build of Dudhope House in Dundee, a new £5m facility providing round-the-clock care for young people with mental health conditions.

The bright and welcoming building took as long to plan and design as to build due to the requirement to not only consider the current complex needs of the users, but also be able to adapt and respond to changing needs in the future.

The project was the result of a collective team approach between NHS Tayside; East Central Scotland Hubco; BAM Construction Scotland; and architect, Gauldie, Wright and Partners (GWP).

Built on a sloping site and into the hillside, the building wraps around a landscaped courtyard which connects the ‘home’ to its surrounding natural habitat. Moving inside, the modern and flexible building maximises the use of natural light throughout.

An education wing on the ground floor sits alongside a multi-purpose gym, therapy kitchen, breakout areas, family accommodation and staff offices. The upper floor houses a 12-bed residential wing and a therapy unit.

Doug Keillor, BAM’s regional director, said the unit’s completion comes at a time when the issue of child and adolescent mental healthcare is very much in the headlines.

We are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between good design and health benefits and this must surely be a perfect example of a building designed to improve the health of its users

He added: “I have to single out the architects, GWP, for particular mention. Designing this type of building is not easy, but it has have achieved seems to effortlessly incorporate all of the users’ needs into a bright and sustainable design that sits in and complements the existing gardens.

“We are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between good design and health benefits and this must surely be a perfect example of a building designed to improve the health of its users.

“Getting here from the initial brief has been a long, and occasionally challenging, process, but the quite amazing reaction of the building staff on the day we handed it over made all of that effort worthwhile.”

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