Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2019 – Latest
We’re delighted to announce that the Alder Centre project model has been included in the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. An annual celebration of art and creativity run without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition is the world’s largest open submission art show and brings together art in all mediums – prints and paintings, film, photography, sculpture, architectural works and more – by leading artists, Royal Academicians and household names as well as new and emerging talent.
The project, a joint effort with AHMM Architects, is a support bereavement centre for parents who have suffered the loss of a child, part of the Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Established in 1989 by a small group of health care professionals in partnership with parents who identified a gap in the services available, the centre is unique within the NHS and internationally, providing bereavement counselling for families who have gone through such a terrible experience, along with a national telephone helpline and general counselling for hospital staff.
The 310 square metres building comprises of a large communal space in the centre – ‘the heart’ of the space, with a lounge and kitchen – from which seven counselling rooms unfold, each with their own private garden. Configured like a big communal house and set inside a “secret garden” space, it was designed to be an emotionally safe place for bereaved parents to process this difficult time together.
With a hybrid steel frame structure, stability is provided by cantilever SHS columns along with tall timber stressed-skin pyramid roofs. Each pyramid roof is supported on steel angles to provide additional stiffness for deflections over the large glazed openings. A concealed service zone between each roof allows for flexible integration of services within the cavity of the exposed brick partition walls through to the ceiling void. All rooms have a striking pyramid timber roof with a roof light to allow for natural light and ventilation, and natural materials were used extensively, with exposed brickwork partitions and timber finishes bringing warmth into a space for parents and carers going through bereavement.
You can visit the exhibition until the 12th August, find all the details here: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/summer-exhibition-2019
The Alder Centre is run by volunteers and relies heavily on charitable funding, as it is not a mandatory NHS service. If you can, please consider donating here: https://www.alderheycharity.org/
