CAMHS was to be a prototype developed to meet the objectives of improved child care as outlined by NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) and the NHS has deemed this project to be a successful model for other CAMHS units up and down the country.

​

The CAMHS unit provides a facility for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to meet the needs of young people with psychological issues who cannot be managed safely in the community.  The new unit has 15 beds with 6 day care places. The unit was previously based in St Clement’s Hospital, Bow Road near Mile End and had only 6 beds. The service is provided by the East London and the City Mental Health Trust and includes:

​

• Acute in-patient facilities for 15 patients

• A Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

• Teaching facilities

• Day services facilities

• Administration facilities

​

These five main elements are expressed externally through the building form and the choice of materials. Different materials, such as timber cladding, white render and fair face block have been used to give each element a distinct character and reinforce the idea that the children move from home to school to recreational space throughout the day. The CAMHS unit maximises natural light and ventilation and is visually sympathetic to the other buildings on the site. 

​

The building has been designed as two sinuous curves, one two storeys high, linked by single storey elements which create a private courtyard garden. The form was largely determined by the steep sloping plot and also to maximise views to the south. Care has been taken to create a reassuring and safe internal environment that does not feel institutional. This has been aided greatly by the curved corridors which give a sense of privacy without creating unobserved corners or blind spots. Aluminium framed roof lights run the full length of the circulation routes, flooding the corridors with light.

​

There is a landscaped recreation area to the rear of the building where appropriate screening will be used to shield the building and its gardens from the road.