Australian architects have a lot to boast about in healthcare design. In recent years, practices such as Woods Bagot and Lyon have pushed the boundaries of hospital appearance, feel, and working methods.
On the other hand, hospice care for children is a very rare theme in architectural discourse, especially when the priority is given to the recognition of the main functions of hospice care over its aesthetics and architecture.
However, Queensland’s newest children’s hospice hospital gives us important insights into how design can help children and young people’s short breaks and hospice care. ThomsonAdsett’s Hummingbird House is one of only three children’s shelters in the country and the only shelter in the state, aiming to study the close connection between aesthetics and emotions.
Unassuming at first glance, the Hummingbird House is everything its name implies-simplicity and warmth, without the sterility or gloom that traditional medical facilities usually accompany.
From exterior walls to bedrooms, lounge areas and even backyards, the material palette and decoration are strikingly similar to residential interior design and even boutique hotels.
This deliberate effort to create a home away from home environment and experience is established through a human-oriented process, including the idea of "warm hugs".
"The children who visit the house are'guests'. They are not patients or residents," ThomsonAdsett explained to A&D. "Guests need special care and attention, which is reflected in the care and attention to space, choice and service."
In short, Hummingbird Home is more than an independent hospice facility that provides paediatric palliative care services. It must be a place where the family can find peace, support and rest when they need it; a home that helps relatives discover moments and create memories that will last a lifetime. Just like a house and many rooms, the center can flexibly meet the needs of many residents, from the guests and the family itself, to dedicated volunteers and professional staff.
Some other notable ideas incorporated into the design include:
Although choosing a material palette that must suit the needs and functions of the center to help establish a domestic architectural language, the team still appropriately considered life cycle costs and capital efficiency.
ThomsonAdsett said: "Sustainability is considered as a whole, focusing on minimizing the impact on the natural environment and improving contact with the natural environment."
In fact, this translates into designated natural materials; has a high level of openable glass windows to achieve active cross ventilation in most rooms; a large connecting balcony that provides shading for east and west; and a courtyard that allows natural light and ventilation to enter The center of the house also serves as an alternative space for guests, families and staff to interact with nature.
In addition, the room has physical access to the outdoor space and garden. Basically, about 21 kilowatts of solar photovoltaics have been installed, and the modeling covers at least 25% of the house's annual energy.
Establishing a connection between the building and its existing environment—topography, 6m lateral drop, existing trees, orientation, and potential landscape—is certainly not without challenges. Universal access to outdoor spaces and all floors means that it is essential to establish the correct floors for the main house. What we see today is the result of carefully planned site positioning, which preserves many important existing trees on the site. These create the background for many indoor and outdoor experiences.
In such an emotionally sensitive space, equally important is social sustainability, which does not play a secondary role in the success of the house.
Although the Hummingbird House was built less than a year ago, its fascinating design and construction process has gone beyond the principle of "self-use" to raise awareness of palliative care and spark public discussion, including the specific needs of children with limited lives, and Love their family. This open dialogue even includes contact and sharing with international children’s shelters in Europe and the United Kingdom, and more importantly, contact and sharing with existing child shelters in Sydney and Melbourne.
ROOF ZINCALUME LYSAGHT in'Surfist'
Car port roof ZINCALUME LYSAGHT in'DUNE'
FASCIA Windshield WEATHERTEX – PRIMELOK SHADOWOOD Smooth paint surface adopts ROCKCOTE ECOSTYLE, DULUX'POWERED ROCK'
EAVES SOFFITS TIMBER AUSTRALIAN HARDWOOD-Recycled "spotted glue" and steel structure fixing agent organic oil deck oil/exterior wall oil
BALUSTRADE ALUMINIUM – DULUX DURALLOY powder-coated "charcoal"
ROCKCOTE ENTERPRISES, SANTA FE RENDER and ROCKCOTE ECOSTYLE PAINT AUSTRAL CLAY BRICKWORK HARDIFLEX fiber cement cladding and SCYON COVER and ROCKCOTE ECOSTYLE satin paint WEATHERTEX – PRIMELOO SHADOWOODHERSM
DULUX DURATEC powder-coated aluminum screen and shading device
Aluminum frame doors and windows DULUX DURATEC powder coating finish
Flooring/paving Beaumont tiles, R11 Beaumont tiles in sidewalk shale, in quartz mesh mosaic
Floor slab 90MM Australia HARDWOOD'T&G' WITH LOW VOC SEALER POLOSHED floor polished concrete SLAB R10 anti-slip FORBO floor, SAFESTEP R12 anti-slip linen IN'sea lion' FORBO floor, SURESTEP STONE VINYLIN '17112 sand concrete' SCHINDLER artificial granite floor, SCHINDLER 3300AP series – Piccadilly
Skirt bevel wood 10MM X 100MM
WALLS URBAN EDGE CERAMICS BEAUMONT tiles, GYPROCK EC08 wall tiles GYPROCK EC08 complete SCHINDLER stainless steel wall –'FOGGY'
JOINERY KICK:'E0' particle board-LAMINEX natural finish for ESPRESSO cabinet/drawer surface:'E0' particle board-LAMINEX natural finish in'BRONZEWORKS' and'ASH WHITE' ROBE NATURIC finish:'JUTE 257' Countertop:'E0' particle board-ESSASTONE'NEW CHINCILLA'
Kitchen bench plywood-ESSATONE in "Smoothie", 20 mm
Cold room walls, doors, ceilings "colored" metal
Staff room/office wall ECHOPANEL ABET laminate high pressure laminate – '406 MAGNETICO'
BREEZEWAY entrance matte customization with "hummingbird" graphics is welcome
Swimming pool ROUKO cobblestone finishes –'AYMAN SANDS' Beaumont tiles, wall tiles – HAVEN light linen gloss BEAUMONT tiles, floor tiles – HAVEN BONE METZ – combined edge system
Client: Hummingbird House / Wesley Mission
Total project cost: approx. 9.5 million USD
Total building area: approx. 1,990 m2
Human-centered design workshop: environment
Service Engineer: Wood & Grieve Engineers
Project Manager: Turner & Townsend, Aspect Project Managers Pty Ltd
Urban planner: Shane Howard Planning
Landscape architect: Saunders Havill Group
Building Certification Agency: Mckenzie Group Consulting (Qld) Pty Ltd
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