The Design in Mental Health Project of the Year – New Build (International) Award is one of the most respected accolades in the global mental health design and construction community. Recognising excellence in the design and delivery of mental healthcare environments, the award highlights projects that set new benchmarks in innovation, safety, therapeutic value, and user experience. It aims to promote best practice, support sector-wide learning, and deepen understanding of how thoughtful design can improve outcomes for patients, staff, and services alike.

 

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Complex Mental Health Design | Constrained Site | Diverse Cohorts

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The new Mental Health Unit at Joondalup Health Campus is a purpose-built, 102-bed facility that redefines how diverse mental health cohorts can coexist in a single, integrated environment – without compromise to safety, dignity or therapeutic value.

 

Designed for a constrained metropolitan site, this two-level building overcomes long-standing reservations in Western Australia about vertical mental health design. It successfully collocates four distinct consumer groups within a unified, contemporary environment that prioritises safety, privacy, and natural connection.

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The facility has expanded access to mental health beds in the Joondalup catchment and, for the first time, made it possible to accommodate youth and older adult inpatients close to home.

 

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Cohort Driven Design Response

 

Despite its compact footprint, the facility accommodates:

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• Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) – 16 beds across two secure pods

• Older Adults (>65) – 14 beds across secure and open pods, plus 3 swing beds

• Youth (16–24 years) – 17 beds in open and secure configurations, plus 3 swing beds

• Voluntary Adults – 52 beds in four pods

 

These cohorts are thoughtfully grouped into discrete units that maintain distinct therapeutic spaces while benefiting from shared infrastructure and planning efficiencies. Swing bedrooms between cohorts allow the facility to adapt dynamically to demand without compromising design integrity.

 

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Human-Centred Design in a Complex Environment

 

The design was shaped around central courtyards, with consumer bedrooms positioned along the perimeter to maximise natural light, privacy, and external outlook. Core design principles included:

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• Passive observation and staff safety through clear sightlines and single-sided corridors

• Generous natural light in all bedrooms and social spaces

• Robust materials tailored for mental health safety, prototyped in consultation with users

• Discreet movement paths, particularly for the secure transfer to PICU

• Dedicated outdoor access from each pod – no shared traversal required

 

These strategies resolve typical concerns with multi-storey mental health facilities, ensuring vertical movement, privacy, and sensory experience are all appropriately addressed.

 

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Stakeholder Collaboration & Co-Design

 

The project was shaped through a collaborative, inclusive design process involving clinicians, caregivers, operational staff, and lived experience members. Regular User Group meetings and material prototyping sessions ensured the outcomes were informed by deep insight into mental health care, safety, and sensory needs.

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The award recognises the outstanding collaboration between the State Government, Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, Ramsay Health Care, Joondalup Health Campus and Silver Thomas Hanley in delivering a thoughtfully designed facility, on time and on budget by Multiplex.

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A “Lessons Learnt” review post-occupation validated the design approach and recommended the collaborative framework be repeated in future projects. Stakeholder feedback confirmed that the resulting environment is both therapeutically effective and operationally efficient.

 

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A Secure, Calming & Adaptable Facility

 

In a challenging footprint, the Joondalup Health Campus Mental Health Unit delivers a uniquely balanced environment:

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• Secure, yet open

• Large, yet compact

• Diverse, yet integrated

 

The result is a mental health facility that stands as a benchmark for future mental health architecture – deeply considered, highly functional, and human-first in every detail.

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