Alan Pert Speaks Health Architecture

Following Alan Dilani's lecture as part of the ABP Agenda series, Alan Pert reviewed the event and gave us his insights into Health Architecture in an opinion article for Australian Design Review.

Professor Alan Dilani’s recent lecture at Melbourne School of Design reflects a growing area of research, which is shaping the future design of healthcare environments, but the lecture hints at a much bigger conversation surrounding the future shape of our towns and cities and the populations they serve. Professor Dilani spoke of the interdisciplinary application of architecture; design, engineering, medicine, public health policy, culture and psychosocial factors, which combined, are directly supporting improved health outcomes for society. Professor Dilani’s talk was supported by Lyons Architects who have been calling for greater emphasis on the design of healthcare and hospital facilities. Corbett Lyon began a conversation in 2010 at Melbourne University where he suggests: “Healthcare facilities and hospitals have too often become highly institutionalised and alienating environments”. Corbett suggests “the time is right for us to rethink how our major healthcare facilities are recast in a more humanist and patient focused way through greater cultural input”. Lyons are working on the new Queensland Children’s Hospital, which is expected to open in 2014 while in Melbourne we have recently seen the opening of The Royal Children’s Hospital by Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart Architects. Also under construction are the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and new cancer research and clinical services for Melbourne Health and The University of Melbourne, which is a partnership of Silver Thomas Hanley and DesignInc with McBride Charles Ryan (STHDI+MCR).

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