Leading provider of secure windows for medical establishments Crittall-Fendor worked closely with architects throughout the design phase of a new state of the art mental health hospital in Kent.
Cygnet Hospital Maidstone is a low level secure and rehabilitation unit comprising four wards for up to 65 male and female patients. The £13.5 million new-build project was designed by Tangram Architects, a London-based practice specialising in facilities for medical and police services.
Crittall-Fendor products specified for the building included CleanVent sliding windows featuring either inward or outward opening cleaning variant dependent on their location within the building. AlphaLine sliding windows were also supplied, as well as curtain walling, with integrated sliding and top hung windows to non-patient areas. Doors have anti finger trap profiles for safety.
David Whitehead, director of Tangram Architects, said:
“We worked closely with Crittall-Fendor in the design and delivery of the project. They supplied secure windows with an innovative mesh screen detail within the ward environment over three floors of the hospital, the windows being designed for challenging environments.”
Describing Crittall-Fendor’s specialist products as attractive on price, Mr Whitehead said the company’s design department had worked well with the architects on earlier mental health projects. For this reason, they were chosen as key members of the team to deliver the Maidstone hospital.
He added,
“Crittall-Fendor are innovative and practical and add value when working closely with ourselves and the cladding sub-contractors during the detail design process in working up fully coordinated construction details to produce stunning results.”
CleanVent are high specification sliding security windows, thermally enhanced with an anti-ligature frame and locking mechanism that can be customised to meet client requirements. AlphaLine windows are more suited to a rehabilitation environment with lower security needs.
The company’s products have been installed in a dozen hospitals around the UK managed by Cygnet Healthcare.