staff profiles

Artefact

Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh

The research led development of all aspects of the design and delivery of a spiritual space, The Sanctuary, at the New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland's first purpose designed inter-denominational space. Sanctuary was a major output in which my landscape research practice was applied to all aspects of conceptualising and realising a physical space - 'a space to be, for people of all faiths and none' - located at the heart of a busy acute hospital serving the city of Edinburgh. The fundamental issue that my research addressed was to make physical a distillation of notions of spirituality from the landscape and to develop these to an inter-related constructs of space, form, colour, light, tone and materiality. Since it opened with a multi faith act of dedication in 2003 the Sanctuary has been used by thousands of visitors. It has lead to two further opportunities to explore this area of research of environmental psychology in the field of healthcare in the Finding Space project at Dykebar Psychiatric Hospital and in the design of a space within the new Stobhill Hospital by Reiach and Hall Architects. It was featured in a major article by Barrie Evans in 'The Architects Journal' in 2005. Publication: Prof Murdo MacDonald (University of Dundee), published by NHS Lothian, ISBN 1 904443 01 X. It is held as a flagship project by the Scottish Arts Council (www.scottisharts.org.uk/artsinscotland/infrastructure/projects/archive/sanctuary). The Sanctuary was awarded the Best Building for Public Use at the Scottish Design Awards in 2005. A documentary film ('The Sanctuary', 30 mins) was commissioned by NHS Lothian from Chris Helson and Sarah Jackets.

30/11/2003

Jackie Kemp, 'The Herald', Philippa Swann, 'Crafts Magazine', Sanctuary Project review by Neil Cooper, 'Architects Journal'.