A new hospital building has been completed in Warrnambool, the brief calling for a regional context inspiring its shipwreck theme.

The architectural theme of the new inpatient South West Healthcare in Warrnambool is ‘the Shipwreck Coast’.

Materials for the hospital have been selected for their durability to weather the local environment and include references to the sea and local coastal character in south western Victoria.

Designed by Health Science Planning Consultants, the building was opened by Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, State Health Minister David Davis and Regional Cities and Major Projects Minister Denis Napthine earlier this week.

Assistant director Marion Place said the ambitious design goal had been achieved by fragmenting the southern facade to break down the mass and scale of the building into smaller elements to add visual interest.

“It is more in keeping with the residential street that it fronts and by drawing upon abstracted images of the local coastline environment, the sea and the strong identity of the ‘shipwreck coast’,” she said.

Place said the external facades are a combination of double glazing, pre-cast concrete in a sand and textured finish juxtaposed with rusting steel.

“The zinc coloured cladding has a patina of age and colourful aluminium cladding panels that are very durable together evoke an image of the beach and the sea in summertime with deep blues and foam green referencing the colours of the ocean.”

“Courtyard walls and walls behind the perforated screens are pre-cast concrete in two texture finish and grooved to match the adjacent metal cladding.

“Intricate metal screens will provide a linking element and sun shading to the eastern facade with an image of an organic form rising from the sea bed similar to the local giant kelp forests.

“Inpatient wards will have sweeping views of the sea and be illuminated by improved natural light.”

Premier Baillieu said people living in south-west Victoria would benefit from the new world-class hospital with an additional 29 hospital beds and modern facilities.

“This project — one of the biggest hospital redevelopments in rural Victoria — has transformed South West Healthcare into a state-of-the-art facility to meet the healthcare needs of a rapidly growing community now and into the future,” he said.

Architecture & Design Team

Warrnambool-Hospital-designed-and-built-to-shipwre-1736091483.png

Let’s connect!