North View is a state-of-the-art adult acute facility and one of the UK’s most advanced mental health care developments. Purpose-built to replace Park House at North Manchester General Hospital, it marks a significant step forward in creating therapeutic, service-user-first environments.

A key focus was designing a lighting system that supported recovery, minimised sleep disruption, reduced sensory overload, and provided a calming atmosphere, particularly for service-users who may be highly sensitive to their surroundings.

Whitecroft Lighting delivered a Medium Secure Unit (MSU)-compliant lighting package of 3,500+ luminaires, combining anti-ligature safety, durability, and comfort. Installed across 150 en-suite bedrooms in nine single-sex wards, the luminaires exceed IK10 standards and are independently tested to Annex B of the 2011 Environmental Design Guide.

By adapting MSU kits from standard Whitecroft luminaires, the team avoided custom builds and benefited from simplified installation—critical when deadlines tightened late in the project. As a result, installation was completed in just one-third of the usual time.

Prioritising service-user comfort, Whitecroft supplied rigorously tested luminaires with adaptive lighting controls, ideally suited to secure healthcare settings. Warm 3,000K lighting helped create a homely, calming atmosphere, while observation lighting in bedrooms enabled discreet monitoring without disrupting sleep

The solution delivered a hotel-like ambiance, carefully designed to support even the most sensitive service users. At the same time, ultra-low energy luminaires are optimised for maximum efficiency and energy savings while meeting strict regulatory standards.