St David’s Hospice Newport, Welsh Healthcare Architecture Project
St David’s Hospice, New In-Patient Unit
New Healthcare Building Development Wales, UK – design by KKE Architects
26 Jul 2018
St David’s Hospice, New In-Patient Unit, Newport
Design: KKE Architects
Location: St David’s Hospice, Newport, Wales, UK
St David’s Hospice, New In-Patient Unit, Newport, Wales
Jury Report
The 15-bed, in-patient hospice is a development of the original 2013 Day Hospice, itself a shortlisted project. The new building owes much of its special quality to unusually insightful clients.

photo : Ståle Eriksen
Those of us who attend on a family member during their last days will not forget the character of their surroundings at that time, surroundings that are far too often both chaotic and austere. For those who have reason to visit St David?s hospice the experience is very different and, in so far as it is possible at such a time, in many ways really uplifting. Nothing matters more to the patient than the feelings of the family that they leave behind, so it follows that the focus of design should be on the experience of visitors as much, if not more, than on the patients themselves.
The hospice is beautifully calm and serene. It achieves an air of spirituality while avoiding any implication of judgmental sanctity. The colours and materials are restrained: a tightly controlled palette of warm natural tones. The consistency is thoughtful and deliberate, a ...