St Raphael's Health and Wellbeing Center / Adam Richards Architects

Adam Richards Architects has completed St. Raphael's Health & Wellbeing Center at Mayfield School, East Sussex. The purpose-built facility establishes a new typology for school healthcare in the UK, integrating medical treatment, counselling, and teaching within a single, sustainable building. Reflecting the practice's commitment to innovation and sustainable design, the project is the world's first new building to combine a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure with a natural limestone brick masonry outer wall. It marks a new benchmark for environmentally responsible health architecture. Mayfield is a Catholic boarding and day school for more than 350 girls, founded in the 19th century and centerd on a restored medieval palace. Pastoral care is fundamental to its ethos, expressed in the school's philosophy, "walk beside the girl". Recognising the growing national need for high-quality health buildings across the UK, the school commissioned St Raphael's in spring 2020 as a dedicated center that supports both mental and physical wellbeing.