Stirling Health and Care Village

Aerial image of the site. © rankinfraser landscape architecture

Typology: Primary care | Location: Stirling

A series of therapeutic gardens and public realm hold together a pioneering community health facility in Scotland

rankinfraser landscape architecture, NHS Forth Valley

Stirling Health and Care Village is located on the former Stirling Community Hospital site in Stirling, Scotland.

rankinfraser landscape architecture worked on the landscape masterplan and detailed design, which focused on knitting two new purpose-built facilities into the fabric of the existing hospital site. The new buildings, the GP &

Minor Injuries Centre and The Bellfield Centre (with 100 elderly care bedrooms), bring together a wide range of health and social services.

jmarchitects completed the site masterplan in 2013 and designed the two buildings. The client team comprised Stirling Council, NHS Forth Valley and the Scottish Ambulance Service. The project was delivered by Robertson through hub East Central Scotland and was completed in 2018.

The GP & Minor Injuries Centre is located on the north side of the original hospital site, the part of the site closest to the centre of Stirling. It created accommodation for existing health services, including minor injuries, X-ray facilities and GP out-of-hours services. Several GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service also relocated to the new centre.

The public realm at the entrance to the building forms a gateway from the town into the hospital and connects the new building to the existing hospital. Grass landforms with tree planting clearly direct pedestrians to the main building entrance, and there is a second entrance from the main car park on the other side of the building.

Retained mature trees provide height in the entrance area, which helps embed the building into the hospital context, while new tree planting coordinates with the existing tree species and helps to create spatial structure and seasonal interest. Planting around the building provides separation and privacy between paths and building windows, including consultation rooms. At the centre of the building are two courtyard gardens planted with birch trees, and the main waiting areas look out onto these garden spaces.

The Bellfield Centre provides short-term inpatient care and assessment or rehabilitation for people who require additional support following an operation or illness, including stroke. The integration of health, social and residential care delivered the first service model of its kind in the UK.

The Bellfield Centre is situated to the south of the hospital site, and the building is stepped to respond to the topography, with a series of courtyard gardens and balconies that maximise the southerly aspect. The courtyard gardens are important therapeutic spaces that can be viewed and accessed from internal social spaces and bedrooms.

The outdoor spaces provide seating, raised beds for growing and a specialist area for mobility rehabilitation. Dementia-friendly design was a key requirement for the client throughout the building and landscape in terms of wayfinding, materiality and sensory experience.

The therapeutic experience of The Bellfield Centre is enhanced through the integration of a detailed arts strategy, led by Artlink Central. Artworks are present throughout the building and have a specific focus on dementia-friendly design as they provide opportunities for reminiscence. In the courtyard gardens, lanterns illuminate when darkness falls.

A Green Activity Trail has subsequently been completed, close to The Bellfield Centre and designed by erz landscape architects. This trail runs around the hospital site to connect to the GP & Minor Injuries Centre and consists of a series of engaging activities with therapeutic benefit to those receiving care, staff and visitors of all ages.

The project managed to take advantage of sunlight and landscape to create a general feeling of wellbeing throughout the site. Adjacencies offer clients ease of access to social areas and outdoor spaces, encouraging independence. Clear spatial layouts throughout assist in orientation.

• NHS Forth Valley

  Kirsty Knott CMLI is an Associate Landscape Architect at rankinfraser landscape architecture