Royal Edinburgh Hospital

erz were commissioned as part of the multi-disciplinary design team for the redevelopment of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital campus in Morningside, Edinburgh, a major Scottish mental health hospital campus.

erz oversaw the design and delivery of the first two phases of the project, including the redesign of a 50-hectare, acute mental health and brain injury facility. With growing evidence that access or even a visual connection to the external environment can have a significant positive impact on mental health and recovery, the seven wards are organised around twenty courtyards.

Theses spaces are inclusive and accessible, each courtyard serving the particular needs of each ward, including brain injuries, older peoples mental health, and acute mental health. Pre-existing landscape including a historic orchard, is retained, enhanced, and integrated into the masterplan. The landscape is an additional realm of clinical and therapeutic space.

“[…] We’ve seen patients choosing to spend so much of their day outside, making for the courtyard as soon as they’ve had breakfast. It’s so helpful with their recovery but it also makes such a difference for the staff as well. Everyone seems more relaxed… Helping the nurses improve mood and stimulation in a gentle way, it provides us with a space that gives way to activities; that is, for most, a reminder of life at home.”