The design for Fiona Stanley Hospital feels anything but institutional. Instead, green vistas, sculpture and sunshine are a healthy part of the plan.
The hospital was the largest single building project ever undertaken in Western Australia at the time of its development. The $2 billion project includes a 783-bed hospital, extensive teaching and research facilities and a rehabilitation centre – all in one cohesive, green precinct.
For the state government, the primary goal was to open a facility with superlative health services. Our collaborative team – Hassell, Hames Sharley and Silver Thomas Hanley – went beyond the brief to design a place based on international, evidence-based research on healing environments. The result is a hospital where comfort and care are inextricably linked.
EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN
The design draws on international evidence-based research on the best healing environments. It demonstrates that green vistas, sunlight and natural surroundings can improve the physical and psychological wellbeing of patients, decrease the length of their stay and reduce the need for pain relief.
The environment at Fiona Stanley Hospital feels anything but institutional. Instead, the hospital sits comfortably within its environment, inviting people to experience and enjoy their surroundings. It includes views of green landscapes, sculptures to contemplate or climb, and park bench-style seating inside.
The hospital’s intensive and critical care units are connected to serene outdoor courtyards, so patients who would otherwise spend their days facing banks of medical equipment can now get fresh air and sunshine.
Similarly, parents and kids can enjoy the paediatric playground – instead of an impersonal waiting room – while they wait for anxiety-inducing test results or for family members to emerge from the procedural areas.
