Sunshine House
Sunshine House is a family friendly building that brings together a range of specialist clinical and social care services for children and young people with special needs, disabilities and complex requirements.
Providing health and social care services in partnership with education, primary care, hospital services, child mental health services and the voluntary sector, the centre delivers regular support to children and young people from birth to 19 years old.
Designed around the needs of children and young people, colour is a key element of its architectural design. The entrance foyer, reception and play and family resource facilities form the public heart of the centre. In addition, a garden provides a tranquil place for children and young people and their families to relax.
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity funded an art project at the centre with the aim of creating a pleasant place for children, their families and staff to enjoy. It also contributes to a therapeutic environment, reducing stress and anxiety.
The variety of services within the building resulted in a range of different room styles being produced. This created a naturally irregular floor plan. To aid navigation around the centre a series of internal voids have been cut between the three lower public levels and lined in colour. This provides transparency and openness throughout the building.
The upper level voids create private outdoor terraces, which provide natural daylight and ventilation to rooms deep within the building. Externally the building features dark brick with bright sky blue brise-soleil. The building's internal voids protrude from the brick facade to form external sunshades, create sheltered play areas, and highlight the main building entrance.
Over 250 health and social care staff are based at Sunshine House. The new building includes:
* a single reception service for all services in the building, operating from 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday
* a gymnasium with a gait analysis system and other specialist equipment designed to help children with mobility problems - allowing easier assessment of service users' mobility for physiotherapists
* a sensory room aimed primarily to help children with visual or behavioural problems
* a group therapy room for children to undertake activities that develop their co-ordination and dexterity
* an audiology suite for hearing tests
* a base for the community speech and language therapists
* consulting rooms for paediatricians and other clinicians
* soft play room with soft-lined walls and floor plus climbing/play equipment
* observation rooms used primarily by CAMHS [Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services]
* Children with Disabilities Team and duty room
* two large conference rooms
* a waiting area featuring a soft play space for younger children and an IT resource area from which healthcare information can be obtained
* an enclosed garden area.
