European Health & Life-Sciences - Study Tour
Picking up the High Commendation for Wyvern Private Hospital at the European Healthcare Design Awards in London allowed us to organise a European Health Learning Tour through Scandinavia. Director Simon Hanson, Senior Associate James Campbell, and Graduate of Architecture Sunday Hanson toured hospitals, healthcare and life sciences facilities across Europe, through Finland, Denmark, Norway, and England.
Helsinki
We began the European Healthcare tour in Helsinki, at the Hus Bridge Hospital. Defined by a skybridge that connects the two halves of the building. We were taken through the large hospital, which is designed with the patient front of mind, corridors and foyers are large and well lit, easy to navigate with clever wayfinding methods. Although the site was constrained, there are outdoor terraces that give patients, staff and family breakout spaces.
We are especially grateful to Hennu Kjisik from Harris-Kjisik Architects for generously sharing their work and guiding us through Hus Bridge Hospital, Helsinki.
Other architectural sites we visited included Helsinki Library by ALA Architects, and Finlandia Hall by Alvar Aalto.
Copenhagen
Our European healthcare educational tour continued in Copenhagen with visits to Helsingor Health Centre and Rigshospitalet North Wing.
Helsingor Health Centre designed by Nordic Office of Architecture, offers a tranquillity unique to hospital design through the harmonious use of timber and a light pastel colour palette. Clever use of colour helps with wayfinding and defines the different areas of the hospital. Internal landscaped courtyards and large floor to ceiling glazed windows allow an abundance of natural light into double height internal spaces, creating joyous spaces as you traverse through the hospital with a large children’s soft play area just off the entry foyer.
We want to thank Hanne Flyger and Hanne Sloth Wengel for taking us through this Health Centre and imparting their knowledge and experience with us. We look forward to hosting them in Sydney when they come and visit.
We had the pleasure of touring Rigshospitalet North Wing building with Stig Gothelf, Senior Partner at 3XN, and hearing first-hand about the team’s vision and the challenges behind delivering such a large healthcare facility. Inside the entry foyer one traverses through spiral open stairs, which have been built in collaboration with local artists and connects all the floors. Once you’re out of the stair case there are central link corridors which run through each V-shaped pavilion, this corridor gives the public a guide to their location and cleverly helps minimize walking distances for staff.
Rigshospitalet North Wing was designed by 3XN Architects, Nickl & Partner Architekten and Link Arkitektur
Oslo
The European Healthcare tour continued over in Norway, with an incredible opportunity to see the Nye Drammen Sykehus in the new health precinct @drammenhelsepark while construction is being completed.
The new Drammen Hospital, designed by the collaboration of @ratioarkitekter, @linkarkitektur and @boelgeblikk, is a great example of how healing can be promoted through design. Through the use of timber and glass walls in the atriums, beautiful waiting spaces are created, and through the earthy tones of the wayfinding, the wards are calming and peaceful. Courtyards and building alternate off the main spine of the building and frame landscaped areas for patients and visitors to enjoy the view of the fjord.
A big thank you must go to Trine Benjaminsen of Sykehusbygg HF, for taking us through the building and providing us with her intricate knowledge of this large-scale hospital. Another big thank you to Kari Anne Munthe-Kaas of Ratio Arkitekter, who gave a presentation on Drammen Hospital and had previously hosted our director Simon Hanson, and fellow tour attendees Bill Lozevski of LMB Property and Chris Smith of Australian Unity back in 2008 for a similar tour of healthcare projects around Scandinavia.
Not only were Ratio Arkitekter so kind as to allow a tour of the hospital, but they also hosted us at their office in Oslo where we received a very insightful presentation of their upcoming hospital projects.
We are truly thankful for all those who generously welcomed us and planned tours, and we look forward to repaying the favour when they visit Australia.
SONA Office Crawl
A fun and engaging evening was had when we hosted a SONA Practice Crawl.
A fun and engaging evening was had when we hosted a SONA Practice Crawl. Through an initiative run through the AIA’s Student Organised Network for Architecture, we opened our doors to students and recent graduates to provide an insight into the workings of our office and our multidisciplinary offering of architecture, interiors, structural engineering and construction. Thank you to SONA NSW for the opportunity to meet so many enthusiastic graduates!
Wyvern Private Hospital
This year we celebrated the “topping out” Ceremony at our Wyvern Private Hospital Project, located in Terrey Hills, the project is a $98 million Private Hospital which is now in the final stages of construction.
A Private Hospital, that grew from the vision of a group of Doctors, and is turning into reality thanks largely to the great team of Wyvern Health, Australian Unity, Hacer Group and Podia. It really will set a new benchmark in the health sector, a quality environment for Surgeons, Staff and Patients.
We look forward to sharing more of this project with the community as it comes to life.
Wyvern Private Hospital
Lachlan Avenue
Earlier this year we had approval on our 131-dwelling complex in Macquarie Park.
This project caters to the growing demand for housing within proximity to educational and employment hubs. With a commitment to shaping the evolving character of this emerging high-density residential precinct.
The development will offer a mix of unit typologies, with 100 single-level apartments, eight dual-level townhouses, and 15 dual-level villa-style apartments, with a selection of one, two, and three-bedroom homes.
We look forward to construction commencing in 2024
Lachlan Avenue
Nove Apartments
Australian Geographic, Adventurer of the Year Dr. Richard Barnes
A massive congratulations to our very own Dr Richard Barnes!
He’s been awarded the prestigious Australian Geographic Australian Adventurer of the Year, an incredible honour and truly well-deserved.
Richard’s epic kayaking journey from Australia to New Zealand is a testament to his unwavering adventurous spirit! On February 18, 2023, Dr Richard Barnes achieved an unprecedented feat, becoming the first person in history to kayak solo, non-stop, and unassisted from Australia to New Zealand. We couldn’t be prouder of Richard’s extraordinary accomplishment!
Meet the 2023 Australian Geographic Society Award winners
