The nature of healing

A new insertion into the existing campus at Nepean hospital in Penrith,

Nepean Mental Health Centre, Penrith

Health

AU

The Nepean Mental Health Centre is designed to respond to the increase in demand for mental health services as a result of the growing and ageing population.

The NMHC includes 64-mental health beds servicing high dependency, acute and Specialist Mental Health Services for Older Persons. The unit will include a dedicated inpatient ward and new facilities for the outpatient day program.

Project details

The hard steel and glazed exterior relates to the adjacent hospital buildings, and is contrasted with the non-institutional feel of the interiors and internal courtyards, where the focus is on healing by design and creating a sense of humanity and ownership.

With generous solar access, these therapeutic internal courtyards create visual connectivity and engage users with a tapestry of landscaping that changes with the passage of time, allowing regeneration to become visibly tangible.

The design of the unit provides a restorative health care unit, integrated into the local community and linked to the adjoining health precinct.

Location
Penrith, Australia
Client
Health Infrastructure
Size
7,300 square meters
Status
Built
Completion
2014
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