“The phenomenally well conceived and exquisitely realised Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne (RCH) is this year’s deserving recipient of the IDEA 2012 Overall Winner award. Encompassing a family-centred care model that considers the child – as well as the parents, sisters, brothers and grandparents – the RCH’s interiors utilise evidence-based design principles to create a new benchmark for hospital design.
“Taking inspiration from the views of Royal Park, the project’s interiors are instantly engaging, coherent and uplifting. The heart of the hospital is the six-storey atrium and ‘Main Street’: a light-filled public aquarium, major artwork installations by key Australian artists, and interactive video screens, as well as a meerkat enclosure managed by the Melbourne Zoo. These key design strategies, or designed ‘distractions’, succeed in their intent to ‘heal’ sick children through positive experiences and joyful environments. They also provide important markers helping visitors to navigate the large interior spaces.”
– Leanne Amodeo, former editor of Inside magazine and jury chair
Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart
