"Staff and patients played an active role in the tour and the ceremony, sharing personal experiences and their design contributions.

"The Royal couple were surrounded by an audience of 700 guests assembled in the Street and above on the bridges and balconies. RCH Chairman Tony Beddison AO and CEO Christine Kilpatrick led the Official Party which included Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and Premier Ted Baillieu.  

"The six level high and 16 metre wide Main Street space was a perfect setting for the ceremony, capturing the design principles of a village-like, light-filled and nature inclusive building.

"It was a great delight to celebrate the dedicated work of the team with a Royal opening."

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"The shifting layers we see within a park with its pleasing colouration and patternation calm our minds and provide food for our imaginations.

"The design of the new RCH grasps these natural qualities and converts them into built form.


"If nature can be like this then why not architecture? These naturalistic qualities were fully explored in the fabric of the building where tree leaves and canopies have become the symbolic language for the new building and define the main facades to the project.


"The In-Patient Unit (IPU) facade uses green coloured polka dotted glazing units which drift across the facade like a camouflage pattern and help to blend the building into its park setting.

 
"The west facade, the most public face to the project, has a unique sun shading device comprising over 1000 glass 'leaf' blades which are coloured in a unique array of red and green tones to define the main entrance ways into the building.


"All of these elements work to be both functionally responsive and soft and intriguing to the eye. They behave as nature behaves and as a partner to the park setting they provide a supercharged health-giving backdrop to the entire hospital."

Kristen Whittle is a Director with Bates Smart and was the Design Director on the Royal Children's Hospital project.

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The ED has a close association with Medical Imaging (MI), and together, patient flows and efficiency are very strong design shapers that can have a profound effect on the operation of the rest of the hospital. It is therefore essential these are highly efficient, flexible and functionally well resolved spaces in terms of zoning, services, amenity, proximity, privacy, respite, calmness and safety.

The RCH and Department of Health developed an inspiring ED and MI Brief, cherry picked from a number of overseas hospitals, and fine tuned to the RCH Model of Care. This seeded an exploratory and creative design process, and ultimately, an innovative design response.


The design process included a great deal of time modeling the staff as well as patient and family  flows,  discussing operational issues, as well as looking at technical aspects as broad ranging as: xray gantries, pharmacy security, bio-hazard incidents, equipment installation and radiation safety.

Two particular features that challenge tradition in the new RCH ED and MI design are – an innovative triage concept, and the incorporation of daylight and nature.


The first feature was driven by the client rethinking the triage process. Upon arrival, patients are greeted by a trained ‘concierge’ who undertakes a rapid assessment to prioritise patients into the private triage consulting rooms.  The patients then undergo a more detailed assessment, and may even commence treatment, prior to moving to a patient treatment cubicle or the fast track GP or Nurse Practitioner Clinic.


The distribution of waiting space, the relationship with the staff base and triage rooms rather than bays, all respond to the innovative Model of Care to be delivered in the new RCH.

ED and MI areas are often deep plan spaces with little or no daylight or connection with nature. This brings us to the second feature. We have been able to make the most of two key design elements, the aquarium in ED and the lightwell in MI. As a result, the ED waiting areas are clustered around the aquarium, and the Preparation and Recovery trolleys for invasive imaging procedures, as well as the Staff Lounge and a main corridor, surround the lightwell in MI.


The two level Aquarium serves many purposes including, linking the Ground and Lower Ground Levels, and providing entertainment, distraction, a connection with nature and a wayfinding landmark. The aquarium is set to become an iconic RCH element, greeting people at the entry in Main Street on the Ground Level, as well as in the ED on the Lower Ground Level.

Sheree is a Director and leads the Health, Science + Education group within Bates Smart, she was Lead Health Architect on the The Royal Children's Hospital.

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