Architect and Builder November/December 2015 | Page 53

Concept
Layering of medical and engineering services is
essential in a hospital and is generally formula
driven. The challenge is in knowing how to ‘adapt’
the formula to incorporate more design elements.
With over 20 years of hospital design experience,
A3 Architects was able to combine a modern design
aesthetic without compromising the essential
practical requirements dictated by a modern
medical facility.
The design of the hospital was driven by a
number of factors. The long, narrow site is visible
from the N3 highway and there was therefore a
requirement for prominent signage visible from the
highway and the Hilton off-ramp. The design also
had to take into account high visibility facing onto
Monzali Drive, the other main arterial.
The master plan also had to accommodate future
expansion to a 200 bed facility.

Life Hilton

Public and Private Interface
The building is divided into a public and private
interface. The public interface includes reception,
radiology, casualty, coffee shop and pharmacy. The
private interface includes food preparation, waste
disposal, staff and laundry facilities. A service
corridor that accesses ‘back of house’ is situated
below the ward block. These services are kept
totally separate and away from the public face of
the hospital.
The ‘street’ within the public section of the
hospital that accesses the wards and other facilities
has been designed with a curving form that provides
a more interesting dynamic. The ‘street’ has also
been segmented by pause areas to avoid the feeling
of a long, boring, clinical corridor. The design also
provided opportunities for natural light to flood the
corridor through the use of skylights. The public
areas are well lit, friendly spaces.

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