Mandara Manor Wellness Centre

…Exclusive Mental Health Facilities text by Michael Nott photos by Mandara Manor, Structure & Design

Mandara Manor Wellness Centre was opened on 30th October this year by Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr John Mangwiro. Mandara Manor is the third centre in the group of mental healthcare facilities that includes Highlands Halfway House and Borrowdale Halfway House – all run by a group of local doctors and healthcare specialists. of the Highlands Wellness Mandara Manor Wellness Centre is a psychiatric and rehabilitation facility offering specialised care for people with alcohol and as well as treatment for a range of mental health issues including depression and suicidal tendencies, stress, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Upon referral from a doctor or from family members patients can be admitted and accommodated at the Centre for a minimum of 6 weeks up to a maximum of three months. Patients are admitted irrespective of race, gender or age. As well as residential patients the Centre also treats clients on an outpatient basis.

While they’re at the facility patients receive full board as well as a range of therapeutic treatments from a staff that includes specialist psychiatrists, psychologists and occupational therapists. They can also enjoy a range of indoor and outdoor activities including the use of the on-site gym with twice weekly training sessions, a basketball court, massage therapy and beauty therapy, visits from a barber and hairstylist, as well as indoor board games, Netflix and DStv.

The well-equipped gym is an obvious new build, although the architectural style takes its lead from the main building. There’s a fully equipped modern kitchen with a gourmet chef in attendance to cater for particular dietary preferences or restrictions.

Patients who would previously have sought treatment outside the country can now be accommodated locally saving foreign currency and travel expenses. In addition, the three treatment centres have accepted clients from South Africa, Canada, the UK and the USA as our local facilities are of world class standards.

The project, situated at 9 Tiptol Close, in the tranquil suburb of Mandara, was funded as a portfolio investment by the Zimbabwe Electricity Industry Pension Fund (ZEIPF). The ZEIP acquired the site in around 2013. It was a residential property with an older house existing on the stand that needed some renovations but was basically structurally sound and solidly built.

The renovations, extensions and newly built sections were designed by Ruswa Consulting (ERC Urban Design Consultants) with ERC, DM Jena Associates and ZEIPF acting as project managers and KW Construction as the main contractor. Work started on the project in December 2019 and was completed in October 2020 this year. ERC has maintained the traditional Zimbabwean home look and feel of the existing house while extending and updating it. The original tiled roof with a gentle pitch and small overhanging eaves has been extended seamlessly so it’s hard to tell which part is original and which part is new. All the original ‘Crittall-style’ window frames have been replaced with aluminium frames so that they match the new sections and also give the house a more up to date look. ERC has added an impressive entrance façade that gives the structure an imposing, serious look – without being intimidating. The front has been clad with stone tiles and the windows sheltered behind steel louver slats. To the left of the façade there are two blocky monoliths with black slate cladding and a concrete cross beam that together form a gateway to the emergency admission space where a ramp leads up to the solid teak exterior door. To the right there’s an outdoor patio and seating area with a very high roof of corrugated iron resting on concrete pillars. The roof also partly shelters the access to the main reception area.

houses built at the time of the original structure would have been fairly dark inside with rooms leading off of long narrow passageways and a separate lounge and dining room. ERC has created large open light, with pristine white tiled floors throughout and in what was presumably the original lounge, has been preserved to add a homely touch. Where there are passageways they’re wide and light rather than dark and narrow.

There are now 8 bedrooms – each with a private wellappointed bathroom en suite – so the facility can comfortably accommodate up to 11 resident clients at any one time. There are 4 bedrooms for men – 1 double and 3 single – 3 bedrooms for women – 1 shared and 2 private rooms – and an additional gender neutral bedroom.

extension as older houses tended to have small kitchens stuck away at the back of the house. The cabinets as well as all the necessary modern appliances needed to conjure up gourmet meals for clients who can be a bit picky about food!

The interior décor has been carefully designed to be comfortable, up-market but still relaxing, with a minimum of clutter and fuss to distract clients. The big windows and white tiled floors could feel cold but the choice of teak furniture and seating upholstered in soft colours and natural fabrics warms the place up and makes it more welcoming. Unique art works, specially commissioned from local painter Pearl Thompson, brighten up the walls and add interest. Vases of fresh cut flowers, decorative bowls and candles complete the tasteful décor.

Even the décor in the bedrooms has been considered with each room having its own personality. There are comfortable comforters, cushions and throws are spa-like quality to ensure as much relaxation and rest as possible.

The fairly simple gardens were designed and landscaped by Commonweal investments. There’s lots of manicured green lawn to give an open feel with touches of colour added at the front reception and the rose beds on the sides. The driveway has been brick paved and there’s ample parking for staff, consultants and visitors.

Mandara Manor is administered by Ms Gugulethu Vaki who oversees a staff complement of 23 people, including 24 hour nursing services, for a maximum of 11 clients, so everyone is assured of top quality personal attention at all times.

To contact Mandara Manor Wellness Centre: Call: 0772697201

SUPPLIERS LIST

Ruswa Consultants - Architects

Beta Bricks Halsteds Brothers Levi Lynch CAAPS

Commonwealth Astra Paints Mcdonald Timbers Intergrated Building Solutions

The future of the working environment: Inclinations to a practical and effective change

By Innocent Mhandu THE FUTURE OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

INCLINATIONS TO A PRACTICAL AND EFFECTIVE CHANGE

The world can be unpredictable in some instances. Questions are all over: What long-standing time will hold? What will we learn? How will life adjust? The corona virus widespread has coerced millions to take off their places of work and adjust to working from home.

Several months after the flare-up, a lot of people are still working from home. What was perceived to be a short-term break from the change will come in the near future.

We at GreenA Sustainability do not subscribe to the perception unexampled change in the working system, accelerating already incubated trends of healthy buildings and resilience. We have all been interrupted, and we must prepare to face another interruption and be interrupters in the future too.

We have observed throughout this pandemic that technology We should take advantage of this interruption to effect positive change. This comes in the form of enhancing employee’s workplace experience, creating healthy work environments, which all results in improved employees’ productivity.

This article brings into light the trends affecting the workplace and how they are making clients to adopt operating technology. In all sectors, there is an observation of a remarkable annual growth of workplace technology. This supports several key macro tendencies, many of which can be reproduced at building or organisational levels:

• On-demand services offering new revenue streams

• A demand for smart digital infrastructure to support a rapidly changing technology landscape

• End users demanding more digital services that support health • The road to a zero carbon plan compelling operational estate

1. Smart Personnel

corona virus and the largest world-wide work from home experiment have taught us that we can be effective and get things done. The downside has been that, it is hard for teams to be creative virtually. We need to be in the company of others and we need to be able to speak, interrupt each other, write things on walls, and have that stimulation that can only be found in the physical company of others.

Whilst many big corporations have announced their move to an When personnel are given the option to work from home whenever they want, and chose the space in which they work to the best of their ability, it makes them happier. This flexibility and choice builds trust, loyalty, attracts the best talent, and ultimately sustains a more

the engine of functional output to hubs of collaboration, incubators of ideas, and places where we strengthen relationships.

2. Improved user experience

Organisations need to bring people together to collaborate, share

concentrating on their needs. Employees’ expectations of the offering facilities and assist services bridging this gap of expectation.

• To be enabled to work with purpose.

• Commitment to health and wellbeing

• Permanent flexibility

3.

Currently, there are major challenges for energy management. Post Covid-19, expert guidance recommends large increases of fresh air and reduction of air recirculation. This new guidance is counter large percentage of carbon emissions, spending and emitting more when buildings are only partially occupied.

4.

The greater use of technology to support greater operational and decrease the demands for operation management and user processes. And that is not just in terms of immediate returns, but also in building resilience.

5.

Health and wellbeing are very essential bringing a new perspective to healthy buildings. Observing more parameters relating to indoor air quality, enhanced ventilation, thermal comfort and transparency of the environment (in which employees spend most of their time) resilience to pandemics.

What we know is that we will continue to work in a world which moves fast, full of noise and disruption. Employees value workplaces which can accommodate different modes of work, from facilitating private and quiet concentration, to enabling interactive and collaborative environments.

The workplace and the ergonomics of working in the physical and the digital environment are the key influences on productivity. The workplace of the future will need to be highly enticing, highly adaptive and highly tuned to users’ needs. This type of internal environment underpins performance and ultimately generates success for an organisation.

6.

Failing to change with the world has always meant lagging behind. The world is changing faster than anyone anticipates and businesses need to be more flexible than ever.

Transform

To future needs – in space layouts, buildings systems, workplace technology and business processes to suit stakeholders needs including those of end users.

To outside future impacts such as cyber security, information security, pandemics, social, political, climate and national infrastructure changes.

As each interruption comes, there is potentially an increased impact, unless we build buoyancy. There are many challenges that building users, tenants, operators and owners will face.

The past has taught us that our ability to face these challenges often relies on our ability to adopt new or mature technology in new ways that support workplace needs. Transformation is needed, and technology will be a fundamental piece of our buoyancy.

through a change. GreenA Sustainability is ready to meet the challenge with excitement at what positive change this can bring.

Innocent is a sustainable building design consultant with GreenA Sustainability Pte Ltd, a provider of consulting services on developing energy saving and comfort optimizing strategies by an integral approach in building design.

For a further discussion on the topic you can email

innocent@greenaconsultants.com or enquiry@greenaconsultants.com

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

- Structural steel; - - Gabions - Security and fencing products; - Designing and fabrication of steel, individual components of building and non-building structures; - Wire products for concrete works; - Mining roof supports; - Threaded holding down bolts; and - Electricity line materials, saddles, stay sets, bow and thimble; - Windows and Doorframes

CONGRATULATIONS TO TROIKA DESIGNS ON THE COMPLETION OF THE SITARI ESTATE

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

TECHNICAL ACUMEN & ENGINEERING SKILLS

Longden Steel is

steel company

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

490 Goodwin Road, Willowvale, Harare 0242 611311/ +2638644142611PRODUCTS AND SERVICES longdensteel.com - - Structural steel; PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Gabions - Security and fencing products; - Designing and fabrication of steel, individual components of building and non-building structures; - Wire products for concrete works; - Mining roof supports; - Threaded holding down bolts; and TECHNICAL ACUMEN & ENGINEERING SKILLS - PRODUCTS AND SERVICESElectricity line materials, saddles, stay sets, bow and thimble; - Windows and Doorframes - Structural steel; - Rebar cutting, bending and xingCONGRATUL - GabionsATIONS TO TROIKA DESIGNS ON THE COMPLETION OF THE SITARI ESTATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT - Security and fencing products; - Designing and fabrication of steel, individual490 Goodwin Road, Willowvale, Harare components of building and non-building structures;0242 611311/ +2638644142611 longdensteel.com - Wire products for concrete works; - Mining roof supports; - Threaded holding down bolts; and - Electricity line materials, saddles, stay sets, bow and thimble; - Windows and Doorframes