We were appointed to provide MEP Design for this £47M acute mental health facility and community hospital at Ayrshire Central Hospital, Irvine. The development is a 206-bedroom integrated mental health facility and community hospital which brings together a full range of outpatient and inpatient facilities. 

The patient accommodation includes IPCU, forensic, adult mental health and older people's wards together with treatment and rehabilitation facilities. The building also incorporates a tribunal suite which meets the criteria of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal's Service.

Key to delivering the project successfully was the high level of communication between the design team, NHS client and construction team. This ensured that the building design met all aspects of the client’s requirements whilst still supporting buildability and affordability criteria.

The M&E designs incorporate: access control, security, staff alert systems as well as “patient safety” designed M&E service fittings. The installations made extensive use of “off-site” fabrication for the building fabric and structure as well as pre-fabricated services modules and pre-fabricated en-suite pods.

During construction, clinical services were maintained on the hospital site within the existing operational buildings.  The facility was constructed in two phases to allow appropriate decant provision from the existing buildings.

The specified insulation standard of the building envelope significantly improves on building regulation requirements and a high level of air tightness was also achieved.

The energy strategy for the building incorporates modular combined heat and power plant and extensive use of natural ventilation to reduce carbon emissions and utility costs.  Where mechanical ventilation is required, air handling plant is decentralised to reduce fan power and incorporates high efficiency heat recovery. High efficiency LED lighting was used extensively throughout the building.  All motors met a minimum IE3 efficiency standard and are provided with frequency converter drives and all mechanical systems operate on demand led variable volume control to minimise system distribution energy consumption. An energy efficient comfort cooling strategy was incorporated to ensure patient wellbeing in periods of high ambient summer temperatures.

Detailing of every aspect of the mental health accommodation was of prime importance to ensure a safe and comfortable environment was created for patients and staff.

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