© Murphy Philipps 2025
Norwich
GIA - 3890 sqm
Murphy Philipps designed the new Hellesdon Rivers Centre in partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Integrated Health Projects (IHP), the joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine. The scheme comprises of a series of standardised ward buildings providing 48 new beds for their service users and staff to deliver the Trusts Vision and future models of care at Hellesdon Hospital Norfolk.
We were tasked with providing state-of-the-art, therapeutic spaces in a contemporary setting. The project includes three new ward buildings, a purpose-designed gym, and a central hub thoughtfully created to foster a sense of community. This central area features a main reception and café, becoming the ‘heart’ of the development. The wards were designed to enhance the safety, dignity, and privacy of those receiving care, in accordance with government guidelines.
The Rivers Centre offers modern, purpose-built facilities for individuals requiring specialised inpatient mental healthcare, enhancing the experience for both patients and carers. Due to costs, and changes in service user requirements, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has been developed to embody standardisation and future flexibility. This has brought not only budget benefits but also enabled economies with on-site construction programme and staffing efficiency in use.
The scheme is an exemplar in terms of sustainability, incorporating the following:
The project is important as it provides some desperately needed new Adult Acute facilities. We provided modern facilities for both service users and clinical staff.
The lived experience of service users was crucial to the design team and built the foundations of this amazing project. Over 5-years, people with diverse lived experience had meaningful involvement in multiple meetings, workshops and bespoke sessions with the wider project team.
The overall layout, the use and finishes of spaces, the open-plan double-height lounges and central courtyards were all designed in collaboration with service users, carers and clinical staff. Connection to nature and providing natural light and openness was critically important to people who now use the space, with their involvement influencing the integration of calming landscaping, contributing to the overall therapeutic environment.
