Kier Northern has been awarded a £7.3 million design and build contract by Barnsley Primary Care Trust under the DoH Procure 21 Framework to provide a new adult acute mental health unit, which will be based at Kendray hospital.
Activity and therapy rooms will provide private space for small groups and one-to-one sessions, while open plan spaces will accommodate larger group activities. A resource room is planned with computers with internet access and an art and crafts area.
An open-plan reception and café area is intended to provide a welcoming, noninstitutional atmosphere and will help promote socialising and interaction between service users and the public. Also included is a 100-space car park.
The unit incorporates a range of environmental features including energy efficient heating, natural ventilation and therapeutic themed gardens. It will also use environmentally friendly materials such as timber cladding and recycled aluminium alloy roofing, while a ground source heat pump will transfer heat retained in the earth to help heat the building, which will reduce the carbon emissions by 32 tonnes a year.
The unit’s design was worked out in partnership with Kier Northern and Sheffield architects Race Cottam Associates.
