Cherry Orchard Mental Health Facility
The Linn Dara Child and Adolescent Mental Health Facility at Cherry Orchard Hospital in Dublin uses colour and organic forms to achieve a presence that is empathetic to its young clients.
- Location Cherry Orchard Hospital, Ballyfermot, Dublin
- Client The Health Service Executive
- Project Mental Health Facility
The Challenge
Our brief was to design an open, community-based building with a strong emphasis on achieving a safe child and adolescent environment. An open area on the existing Cherry Orchard Hospital campus was designated for the project.
The Story
The project involved a complex functional brief involving three community team departments, a day hospital, a staff training department and administration support services. While accommodating this, a particular challenge was to achieve suitable segregation of functions, in consideration of the sensitivities of the clients.
The Outcome
The organic form of the completed building was inspired by the shape of leaves from the nearby trees. Wings containing separate functions are interconnected through a shared foyer. Soft, playful massing, combined with carefully chosen colours and materials, resulted in a facility that is pleasant and inviting.
Natural light and ventilation are maximised to help achieve therapeutic internal environments while providing views out to the Dublin mountains. These are complemented by landscaped winter gardens and courtyards. The internal décor follows through on the overall theme with the use of bright colours and wall-art based on nature.
