National Forensic Mental Health Service, Portrane

The new National Forensic Mental Health Hospital, Portrane will replace the existing Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. Located on a 10-hectare woodland site north of Dublin City, the 24,000m2 campus will accommodate 170 high, medium, and low secure mental health beds. It has been designed to provide a safe, secure, and healing environment that contributes to a patient`s recovery, with buildings strategically placed to optimise the existing topology, mature woodland setting and long coastal views. The civic building announces the entrance and is deliberately articulated in opposing architectural language to denote its administrative function. Accessed through the entrance building, 130 of the beds are laid out as a series of single storey pavilion buildings around a pedestrianised ‘village green’ with peaceful gardens for patient amenity and therapeutic activities. Nestled amongst the in-patient buildings, a ‘village centre’ provides a range of shared recreational facilities including a horticultural area. Intuitive wayfinding is achieved through a site-wide narrative of colour, art, and landscaping. At night, illuminated coloured glazed entrances to the various in-patient buildings act as beacons in the woodland setting. Entrances to the in-patient buildings have direct views of a garden creating a positive first impression. Generous full height glazing along corridors provides good observation and offers contemplative views to adjacent courtyard gardens and ample daylight into the building. Tall, wide spaces are created in central areas to reduce congestion and provide a sense of calm. The interior layout minimises ambiguities, surprises, or hidden spaces in circulation, which maximises opportunities for natural and passive surveillance by staff in a subtle a manner, without infringing on privacy. Interior features include subtle measures to reduce noise and resulting stress, by discrete integration of out-of-reach acoustic panels, and the elimination of opportunities for self-harm by careful selection of materials, fittings and fixtures. Variety in spatial character, brightness, colour, and scale make the spaces visually stimulating while set in a secure internal environment. The entire facility is designed in accordance with the UK Department of Health High Secure Design Guide and Category B Prison Standards. An equivalent facility is that of HMPS Broadmoor in the UK. To meet this requirement, the pavilion buildings are surrounded by a 5.2m high secure perimeter fence or equivalent building/boundary structure. High secure design guidelines also require a minimum eaves height of 4.2m. To reduce the scale and allow the buildings appear a single storey, a dark coloured render band was introduced below the eaves to allow it to be read with the roof. To reduce the mass of the roofs, the roofs pitches were kept low, hipped and overhangs utilized to help float the roof. The new facility will once again position Ireland’s forensic mental health services as world leaders in best clinical practice in a facility which maximises the therapeutic value of landscape and design within the constraints of a secure setting.