From Hard Hat to Home By Julia Connelly, Capital Build Project Manager
The Final Touches: Telling Our Story Through Design
I probably became a project manager as I crave variety and like solving problems. Give me a whiteboard and I’ll start drawing all over it. Often with pictures! I am a bit driven and like lists, and I detest missing a deadline. When I try the same approach at home with my husband though, I get in trouble! I even put up his own Magic Chart in the hall, but he just ignores it.
the privacy and dignity for patients and their families and to create a wonderful working environment for the staff. I love the private patient patios which bring the outside inside, blurring the line between the building and the garden. That has been my inspiration throughout the years on the project. And now we are HOME! I will finish with a wee story from earlier this week. There I was, all dressed up in my turquoise summer dress, ordering some lunch at our lovely new café. Lady at the counter didn’t recognise me because I didn’t have a yellow hi-vis jacket and a helmet on! “Oh, it’s YOU!” she exclaimed. I will NOT be missing helmet hair…
I used to be an NHS Management Accountant, but not a very good one. I think I was probably better suited to lion taming, and by chance found myself working in the Estates, Facilities & Capital Development directorate of a large London Foundation Trust. It was meant to be a six-month secondment, but I just never went back. I started small with asbestos removal and NHS Firecode works, then it was extensions to GP practices, and my final project
down south was a £40 million brand new 115 bedded adult mental health hospital. Life is always subject to change however, despite the best laid plans, and I found myself back home, finding my way to the Ayrshire Hospice in late 2018. What a privilege it has been working on this project and I have been with it right from the start, appointing the Design Team in mid-2019. My aim for the project was to transform
As we return to Racecourse Road, it’s the details - the final touches - that truly bring the new Ayrshire Hospice to life.
Inside the In-Patient Unit, bespoke room signage has been designed to blend seamlessly with the calm, natural interiors. Each sign combines beautiful oak with soft acrylic and features a delicate watercolour image reflecting the room’s name - inspired by Scottish wildflowers, trees, woodlands, and islands. Chosen in consultation
events that helped make this moment possible. Opposite, a timeline wall tells the story of the Ayrshire Hospice: from the first dreams of a hospice in 1983, to opening the doors in 1989, and through the years leading to our return in 2025. Together, these final touches do more than decorate - they honour the Hospice’s story, its people, and the values that shape everything we do.
with staff, the names reflect the beauty of nature and the individuality of each space.
Throughout the building, glass manifestation (frosted designs) adds privacy and visual warmth in equal measure. From elegant leaf and floral patterns to standout feature walls like the one in our Cicely Room, these designs echo the building’s ethos - blending light, nature, and gentle support. One of the most striking new features is the corridor near the Gargowan Café. On one side, a floor-to-ceiling mural celebrates our generous community - a vibrant collage of the faces and
September 2025 | EDITION 40
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