Accoya Wood Brings Healing to Biophilic Design

New Zealand

Project Overview

Project Overview

The Palmerston North Acute Mental Health Unit is reshaping what a healthcare environment can be. Designed by CCM Architects and Jacobs and constructed by LT McGuinness, this new facility on New Zealand’s North Island redefines the relationship between architecture, nature, and wellbeing.

Natural light floods every interior. Secure courtyards offer sanctuary and throughout, Accoya Color brings the warmth and calm of nature into a place of healing.

Applications used in this project: Cladding

Design and Materiality

Design and Materiality

For CCM Architects, material choice was integral to achieving the project’s vision of a restorative, therapeutic environment. The architects specified Accoya Color Grey cladding—supplied by Hermpac—for both the external façades and internal courtyards.

Its natural tone, tactile quality, and inherent durability embody the project’s core values: resilience, authenticity, and calm. Installed in random-width profiles to custom configurations, the Accoya Color cladding softens the building’s form, creating a visual rhythm that complements the landscape and evokes a sense of timeless stability.

Feature areas in lime green painted Accoya wood add a gentle vibrancy to the palette—symbolising growth, renewal, and life. Together, these materials elevate the building from functional to inspiring, offering patients and staff alike a nurturing connection to the natural world.

Performance and Longevity

Performance and Longevity

Accoya Color is not only beautiful—it is engineered to last. The cladding was supplied uncoated, allowing it to weather naturally while retaining its structural integrity. Its colour runs through to the core ensuring minimal maintenance for decades to come.

Backed by an industry-leading 50-year warranty, Accoya Color provides the hospital with lasting confidence—essential for a public facility designed for continuous use and care.

 

A Place of Healing and Hope

A Place of Healing and Hope

Every aspect of the Palmerston North Acute Mental Health Unit has been crafted to support wellbeing. From its sunlit interiors to its tactile, natural materials, it represents a compassionate approach to design—one that values the emotional and environmental dimensions of architecture.

By integrating Accoya Color, CCM Architects and Jacobs have not only enhanced the building’s aesthetic and functional performance—they’ve contributed to a space that genuinely heals through design.

 

Project Details

Project Details

Architects: CCM Architects and Jacobs
Construction: LT McGuinness
Product: Accoya Color Grey Cladding and Accoya Natural painted Resene Citron
Supplier: Hermpac
Photography: Paul McCredie
Completion: Mid 2025

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