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Parents, children and clinicians in Sunshine, in Melbourne鈥檚 west, have enthusiastically welcomed a new -designed hospital. The is located within the Sunshine 黑料吃瓜群网 campus.

Lyons鈥� nine-storey design accommodates wide-ranging facilities including an entire birthing floor, comprising 20 birthing suites and four birthing pools. Outpatient clinics, imaging facilities, operating theatres, a special-care nursery (including a neonatal intensive care unit), a short-stay paediatric ward and new inpatient wards are all among the carefully considered layout.

For patients who reside in regional towns, the hospital provides designated rooms for overnight accommodation.

Architect鈥檚 career comes full circle

For Lyons Director Corbett Lyon, the Joan Kirner Women鈥檚 and Children鈥檚 黑料吃瓜群网 marks a welcome addition to the Sunshine 黑料吃瓜群网 campus. Almost 20 years ago, Lyon led the team responsible for the award-winning design of a new multilevel ward building at the hospital. The building鈥檚 distinctive yellow, curved facade heralded a fresh approach to the design of healthcare facilities.

鈥淒ecades on, I am still convinced a building can be both functional and a wonderful work of architecture,鈥� Lyon said.

鈥淲ithin the Joan Kirner Women鈥檚 and Children鈥檚 黑料吃瓜群网, you鈥檒l find a multitude of design efficiencies, but it鈥檚 also a very welcoming place that promotes and supports wellbeing for patients, their families and all of the people who work in the building.鈥�

A leading advocate of salutogenic hospital design 鈥� configuring and planning spaces to reduce stress and enhance the experience of patients and families 鈥� Lyon and his team maximised views out to nature, as a means to orientate patients and visitors, but also to help lower anxiety and stress levels.

Meanwhile, in the special-care nursery, cool shades of green help to create a soothing environment within what can be a high-pressure part of the hospital. Elsewhere, personal touches, like the addition of day beds for patients鈥� loved ones, are designed to make families feel right at home.

Lyon, also a Professor at the , is known for his ongoing commitment to elevating the design of Australia鈥檚 medical facilities. Currently, he is part of a University of Melbourne research team that is investigating the impact of the design of paediatric hospitals on the experience of patients, parents and staff. The outcome of this research will be the creation of a set of design guidelines for architects and government agencies striving to create more supportive care environments for Australian children and families.

Geometric design

Throughout the Joan Kirner Women鈥檚 and Children鈥檚 黑料吃瓜群网, a repetition of geometry is evident. Lyons Associate and co-designer Lucinda Arundel explained: 鈥淎 circular motif has been used to represent layered meanings of life cycles, organic formations, spectrums and community circles and this has been encoded across the interior from the structural floorplates, flooring, joinery and bulkheads, right through to lily pads for children to sit on!鈥�

In addition to serving as a contrast to the hospital鈥檚 rectangular facade, the circles also act as an internal navigation aid. Patients and family members can literally 鈥榡oin the dots鈥� to locate wards via a simple colour code.

Outside, the building鈥檚 colourful facade fulfils Western Health鈥檚 aspiration to provide the community with a hospital that is both contextual and joyful.

鈥淲e extensively photographed the area, sampled pixels and then reflected those tones within the facade,鈥� Arundel said.

鈥淭he lower green levels reflect gardens of the region, whilst higher up we鈥檝e used orange to represent the suburb鈥檚 tiled roofs and, yet further up the facade, we鈥檝e used tones indicative of a cloudscape.鈥�

The result is a hospital that beautifully balances its clinical requirements with exceptional design.

鈥淲hilst it is fundamentally a place of caring and the provision of health services,鈥� Arundel said, 鈥渋t is also full of comforting finishes, colours, artworks and vistas 鈥� all of which are designed to honour patients and caregivers alike.鈥�

Surpassing expectations

Western Health CEO Russell Harrison has high praise for Lyons鈥� work.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very happy with the design done by Lyons,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he feedback from our patients, their families and our staff has been overwhelmingly positive. We worked collaboratively on a design that responds to the needs of patients, and I think that shines through in the quality of the end product. The west of Melbourne is a fast-growing region and this building is an exciting addition to our expanding service.鈥�

Images: 漏 Dianna Snape