Kirkham Middleton Architects

The Coach House
139A Queens Road
Clarendon Park
Leicester
LE2 3FL

Tel: 0116 220 0321

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Leicester facility renovation

Leicester facility renovation

Community Mental Health Facility, Leicestershire

KM Architects client on this project was a national charity who are one of the largest voluntary sector providers of mental health support in England. They provide a range of community based and crisis support for people with mental health problems. As part of their mission they have opened and operate a number of residential “Crisis Intervention” centres throughout the country, to provide short term residential support and care to people with complex mental health needs.

The charity approached KM Architects to design and facilitate renovations to and conversion of this historic Leicestershire building, originally a farmhouse, into one of their “Crisis Intervention” centres. The brief was to provide hotel standard residential accommodation for six service users, including a wheelchair service user, and one overnight member of staff, all with ensuite bathroom facilities. The service users needed to feel they had some independence but with a sense of being at home. A number of interactional spaces and communal facilities needed to be integrated into the former family residential property including a kitchen, lounges, meeting rooms and laundry facilities. Further, an additional separate building or annex was required as a commercial office for four members of staff who operate a telephone support line, together with a separate manager’s office.

The charity wished to fast track the work to get the Leicestershire community mental health facility open as soon as possible, and KM Architects were able to carry out a measured survey and scaled drawings of the existing residential property, working these up into planning drawings within a few weeks. Planning consultants then submitted a change of use planning application which was approved. Further drawings and information were produced and the project was sent out for tender to a selection of reliable local Leicestershire builders. Quotes were assessed to ensure that all items in the builders’ breakdowns had been priced correctly and to make sure that no unnecessary or unforeseen costs could be added to the contract later on in the project. A contract for the work was then prepared for the charity’s preferred builder and, as part of KM Architects architectural services, KM Architects project managed the work on site throughout the renovations. All work specified was completed to a high standard within the time frame required, resulting in a timescale from first approach to completion on site being achieved within four months.

The charity were delighted with the renovations and how quickly they were able to open their Leicestershire community mental health facility, and have since commissioned KM Architects on three further projects in the neighbouring counties of Lincolnshire and Derbyshire.

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Architect: Kirkham Middleton

Geoffrey Middleton