The Nature of Healing: The New Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne
Kristen Whittle
Director
Bates Smart Architects
(Click to download full paper)
The design of the new Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has been deeply inspired by the surrounding parkland setting of Royal Park Melbourne. The talk will highlight the design methodology used to bridge the gap between nature and healing.
The ‘park in the building’ concept has influenced every aspect of the hospital planning and has been carried through the detailed array of complex material and aesthetic choices within the interior and exterior of the hospital. Particular attention has been made to the natural textures, forms and colours of the park and how this can be directly referenced into the material expression of the building.
A unique aesthetic language has resulted, which forms a new benchmark for hospital design and shows how healthcare spaces infused with nature can speak to the child. Within such large hospitals, wayfinding is essential. At the RCH a large internal street has been formed to create a social heart for the building which is used to provide clear direction to the multiple address points within the hospital.
Abundant natural light, illuminates the entire street and large art pieces help to guide families through the different neighbourhoods used on a day to day basis. This encompassing vision offers the world’s first insights into creating much needed positive workplace settings for healthcare professionals as well as family friendly child focussed low stress settings for those in need of care.
|