Located 200 metres from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston Private Hospital has been completed in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills.
In recent years, the city’s aging and expanding population has placed greater strain on its healthcare facilities. With public and private operating theatres booked to near capacity, a new private hospital was needed to address lengthy waiting times and an under-availability of beds.
Designed by Thomson Adsett, this ten-storey, $100-million development incorporates innovative green design features, and achieves five stars on the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).
The new hospital is located within a Queensland government priority development area. “The trade-off from the state government was it had to be an innovative building, which it is,” said senior architect David Lane.
“It’s a building built for tomorrow: there are two skins to the building, the inner waterproofing skin and then an environmental skin to reduce air conditioning load and support the exterior greenery.”
The vertical garden called for strong quality control on concrete density and reinforced steel.
Image:
Thomson Adsett
The vegetation sits outside of the waterproof outer skin, and Lane said the design for the vertical garden called for strong quality control on concrete density and reinforced steel to cope with the weight.
At night, a distinctive fluid lighting pattern on the facade, which comprises a series of aluminium hexagons, is designed to partially obscure the five-level car park onto the top floors.
Solar panels have been installed on the rooftop to generate a quarter of the building’s energy needs, and rainwater harvesting facilities will supply 80 percent of the hospital’s non-potable water.
According to Lane, the project required some complex solutions to drill footings into the tough volcanic rock foundation, which is reportedly 226 million years old. But ultimately, the architect was satisfied with the building process and outcome.
“It’s a fantastic location and most innovative to the Herston Precinct and we are very proud of how it turned out,” said Lane.
As the largest tenant in the mixed-used development, Herston Private Hospital was awarded naming rights over the building. Designed to host a day hospital and specialist medical suites, the building is now 70 percent leased, with fertility clinic operator Genea being another major tenant.
The hospital is expected to be operating by mid-July, with other tenants to follow shortly after.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
