Sandcastles, an initiative of the Perth Children's Hospital Foundation, which was designed by Hassell, inspired by the textures of the coastal book and the cultural wealth of the local Nogar people.
The result is a nourishing, homeland -like environment, not a clinical area in which every detail from quiet retreats to common family areas calmly, maintain and connect.
In today's construction, this vision takes shape, and for Clémence Carayols surveyed, senior architect at Hassell James French, it reminds a strong memory of how design can support emotional well -being when it is most important.
Architecture & Design: What were the most important design principles that you followed when creating a hospice that brings medical function into harmony with emotional and family comfort?
James French: From the beginning, our customers at Perth Children's Hospital Foundation made it clear that this should not feel like a typical medical facility. Her vision was deeply rooted in compassion – to create a room that felt like a real home for children and their families.
With so much time in hospitals and clinical environments, our goal was to create something completely different – a place that could offer comfort, dignity and emotional relief during the most difficult times. In view of this most important design principle, we had to come closer to the clinical and functional elements of the letter in a creative way, which she “died”, which led to a warm and inviting space.
How have you associated with the local NOONGAR community to ensure cultural sensitivity and authenticity in design?
A sensible examination of the NoOngar community was fundamental for the design trip. We have prioritized the respectful consultation with local Whadjuk NoOngar -elder and with representatives from broader indigenous communities across Western Australia.
This developed a cultural framework document in which the understanding of the project team was designed for the cultural context, which led to a tangible design reaction – with rooms, the meaningful elements such as areas for smoking ceremonies, flexible assembly rooms for community connections and an integrated work of art of older barry McGuire, which the journey of western water over the western water Wasger from western Watger from western water (Rottnest Island “(Rottnest Island, in the western Watgern) (Rottnest Island) (Rottnest Island).
To what extent has the environment in the coast of the coastal country influenced the material palette and spatial planning of the hospice?
The sandburs are in a unique landscape that is of essential importance for celebrating. The natural environment is more than just a backdrop; They are an essential part of the identity and the healing environment of the hospice. In contrast to the traditional feeling of clinical environments, we wanted a place where families are backed with nature and can find moments of calm and clarity – to see the sky, to feel the sea breeze on their skin and to hear the sounds of nature, even if it is inside.
The entire layout is anchored by central circulation paths, which lead the eye outwards, whereby each room offers a connection to the bush, on the beach or to the surrounding parking base. Inner farms invite light and green into the heart of the building and offer calm places for reflection and break. The material palette extends directly from the landscape: natural stone, wood and earthy colors reflect the textures and tones of the coastal stimulus and reinforce a deep and soothing connection to the country
How did you deal with the design of rooms that support both the privacy for families and opportunities for the common connection?
Fighting the unique circumstances and diverse needs of every hospice guest and the visitor represented an interesting design challenge. It was clear that flexibility was an important consideration and examined how rooms could be reconsidered for many different scenarios. Designing areas that enable the social connection was of the greatest importance, as was the creation of rooms that enable calm and contemplation.
Were there unique challenges in the design of children with life -limited diseases that shaped the architectural or internal selection?
Designing children with life -limited diseases required a highly considered and sensitive approach. From a practical point of view, the performance of the building and the internal surfaces was of crucial importance in order to meet the requirements of the hospice.
We had to ensure that the materials for immunodized children were safe and a healthy, well -ventilated internal area was essential. When we realize that bright and “childish” elements can lead to overstimulation in many patients, we leaned into a soft, neutral palette that is supposed to create a feeling of calm.
Can you tell more about the specific features or elements that help the hospice to feel more like a home than a clinical environment?
Since the hospice, which was necessary to support a significant degree of clinical functionality, was to find one of our greatest challenges in order to meet these practical requirements without feeling institutional.
We have identified the elements, the families associated with hospitals and they collapsed to understand their core functions and how we could adapt them to be more homemade and inviting.
This led to thoughtful design decisions, for example to tailor -made hand washing stations that fit seamlessly into the room or replace a traditional reception table with a relaxed, lounge -like welcome area. The aim was to increase health care through the lens of comfort, dignity and emotional well -being.
An essential part of the design is the community kitchen – a place where families sit on the bench, drink a cup of tea or share a meal, just like you at home. The challenge was to ensure that it could also act as a full -fledged commercial cuisine for the entire hospice.
How did sustainability considerations influence your design decisions for this project in view of its sensitive function and natural context?
We have followed a holistic approach to sustainability that focused on social and emotional health and well -being, the connection to the landscape and the efficiency of design. Due to the susceptibility of the children within the hospice, the material selection and specification was carefully taken into account, and the creation of a powerful envelope curve was of the greatest importance to achieve a healthy internal environment, which intrinsically led to a very energy -efficient building.
What role did landscape design play in supporting the general therapeutic experience of the hospice?
Hassell was engaged both as an architect and as a landscape architect, which enabled a really integrated proposal. Our approach recognizes the strong connection between Aboriginal with the country and contemporary concepts of biophilic design and examines the strong restorative advantages of nature, not only for children who stay in the hospice, but also for their families and the employees who take care of them. The landscape extends the therapeutic experience outdoors, with sensory gardens, gentle water features, play aligned and calm rooms to withdraw and reflect.
How did you include medical specialists and families in the design process to ensure that it really meets the needs of its users?
We carried out a strict process of stakeholder engagement through the development of the design, with which we were able to meet families who gave us invaluable insights into the disoriented and challenging experiences for parents of children with life -limiting diseases.
We have followed a thorough and collaborative commitment process, just like for every clinical facility that works closely with specialist health teams in several rounds of user group meetings. This was of crucial importance to help us understand the practical needs of each area, and to ensure that the design can support the highest duty of care while still feeling thoughtful and human.
What aspects of the design do you look forward to at the beginning when you are most happy to bring to life on site?
I am sincerely excited to see how the building sees and makes a feeling of connection with the surrounding landscape. Every visit to the website shows something new – a different play of light, a changing perspective – and I am excited to see how these subtle changes are brought to life within the different rooms.
I imagine that the light that filters through the trees gently moves over the interiors, and the sun over the ocean, as can be seen from the community balcony, moments that will really be something special. But above all, I look forward to seeing the room alive – filled with toys and paintings and disorder and the children with their families, combined in a special environment and hopefully find a moment of peace on an unimaginably difficult trip.
Pictures delivered