Designing for Recovery and Rehabilitation

By ahhb
Monday, 16 March, 2015

“We were thinking about what makes a good children’s hospital and found that a good children’s hospital is one that doesn’t feel like a hospital.”

Exterior-Design---Recovery--Rehabilitation

These remarks, from Professor Bruce Wolfe, have been echoed by people from all walks of life and professions who have visited Australia’s newest and largest children’s hospital, the Lady Cilento Hospital. Perched proudly overlooking Brisbane’s iconic Southbank precinct, the hospital is a state-of-the-art purpose designed building which connects with the community through its living tree design. Designed by Conrad Gargett, of which Professor Wolfe is director, the hospital has received international acclaim by winning the Future Health Project at the 2013 Design and Health International Academy Awards.

“… to be able to get out into the hospital’s extraordinary open spaces with the greenery and landscaping, just adds to the overall healing feel of the building.”
– PETER STEER, CHILDREN’S HEALTH QUEENSLAND

The landscape architecture plays a major role in the design of the hospital and was carried out with an holistic healing philosophy underpinning it. It highlights the wellness benefits of fresh air and nature and includes eight unique garden spaces for reflection and contemplation, recreation and rehabilitation. There is even spaces for patients to have their pets visit, which aids in emotional recovery, and areas for changeable art exhibitions, outdoor theatre and music. The total area of the roof garden exceeds 3200m² and features more than 46,000 plants, 12 green monoliths and 33 epiphyte columns. The roof itself is made up of 1400 planting cassettes containing 23,000 plants. Add to this the installation of six 30-year-old figs which provide instant shade and connect with the nearby landscape. The façade’s palate of rich greens and purples is a reference to the Bougainvillea Arbour in the nearby parklands, and the expansive openings to the street work to connect the inside with the outside.

Exterior-Design---Recovery-and-Rehabilitation

Even the hospital design references the structure of a tree with a trunk and branches and a central atria providing a place for orientation and connection to the outside world.
For Professor Bruce Wolfe, the extent of the landscaping in the building is its greatest success.
“We’ve stepped the design of the building back as it gets taller and each one of the roof planes has been used for natural environments so there are gardens that people can go out onto, patients can be wheeled out onto, and in some instances there are rehabilitation gardens.
“Budget is always under challenge in a project like this and often the landscape is seen as something that can be sacrificed. “However, we had a great shared vision from the start and were able to utilise the belief in the landscape as a healing element in the design,” Professor Wolfe says.
Katharina Nieberler-Walker, Principal Landscape Architect, Conrad Gargett, believes the landscape design goes much further than just designing the external areas. “It integrates with the architectural intent and portrays the underlying philosophy of the whole project: to design for the people – for patients and their families.
And for Peter Steer, who over saw the project as chief executive of Children’s Health Queensland, this philosophy of design has come to fruition.
“Even for people here for a short period of time, it’s usually a tense and critical period of time,” he said. “It’s distressing and stressful on the families … to be able to get out into the hospital’s extraordinary open spaces with the greenery and landscaping, just adds to the overall healing feel of the building.
“In terms of busy, inner city children’s hospitals, “I’ve not seen anything to compare with the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital. “It is a thoughtful, but also incredible practical design. “The whole building, including the very special outdoor spaces, is world class.”

“We’ve stepped the design of the building back as it gets taller and each one of the roof planes has been used for natural environments so there are gardens that people can go out onto, patients can be wheeled out onto, and in some instances there are rehabilitation gardens.”
– PROFESSOR BRUCE WOLFE.

This article was compiled from a transcript of the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital Landscape Video below SCAN to see the video presentation www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIkW2ENG2Yw