The Kantor Centre of Excellence for the Anna Freud Centre near King’s Cross in London won the Grand Prix Design Award and was joint winner of the Best Healthcare Development (UK) at the Building Better Healthcare Awards on 30th October 2019.

The judges said “This building takes very good advantage of the elevations and has been designed for a very challenging site. It demonstrates very good use of a tight site and has a nice domestic feel. It is a design that uses the constraints and complexities of the site to produce a very engaging building.”

Describing the design as ‘a clever solution’, the judging panel said “Working within a challenging urban site, and a complex brief, the architects delivered a homely, light-filled environment that supports children dealing with mental health problems and who are excluded from the school system.”

Ros Bidmead, Chief Operating Officer said “As a charity we aim to transform the lives of children, young people and families struggling with mental health issues. The redeveloped sites will help us achieve this goal and we’re delighted to be working with Penoyre & Prasad who’ve got considerable expertise and experience in producing creative and functional designs for complex projects.”

The centre was officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in May 2019.

The Building Better Healthcare awards recognise excellence in healthcare architecture, estates and facilities management, interior design, and product innovation. View the full list of winners here.