Ridge Hill Mental Health Facility

This project involved the creation of a unique purpose-designed and built facility to provide support to carers, families and individuals with learning disabilities living within the local community. It consisted of two linked buildings comprising of inpatient accommodation, short term break and therapy unit, 12 bed semi-secure accommodation, sensory therapy, group therapy and consulting rooms.

Elementa provided a full range of mechanical and electrical services for the project including passenger lift, CCTV, security, access control, lighting, power, pinpoint 600 staff attack, above ground drainage, hot and cold water with remote electronic isolation and hydrotherapy unit. Elementa worked very closely with the PCT, LIFTCo and design team in order to agree early on the security, clinical and methodology of how the building systems were going to work in practise.

By increasing the natural ventilation and reducing the need for mechanical ventilation, the initial costs and running costs have been reduced substantially. We agreed the need for maximising daylight within circulation spaces. The final solution resulted in large clear story windows being provided along primary corridor routes which not only enhanced the internal aesthetics but also significantly improved the natural ventilation strategy. The early agreement and proactive approach has had the outcome of a building that was delivered with minimal defects.