The Australian Red Cross Blood Service has been designed to be transparent, artistic and to bring ‘delight’ to its occupants.

BVN Architecture says it has turned a world’s best practice blood processing facility into a piece of architectural art.

Answering the brief to design a building to house Australia’s largest blood processing centre, in Sydney, BVN aimed to ensure the design ‘brought delight to staff and visitors’ by opening up the laboratory, administrative and public spaces with a large atrium facing the street and inserting a detailed curving timber staircase through its centre.

Transparency is apparent throughout the project, with glass viewing voids enabling staff and visitors to look down into the laboratories, showcasing the streamlined process of blood management in the 21st century.

Laboratory facilities are required to receive blood donations from donor centres around NSW and the ACT, that then have to be tested and processed and safely stored awaiting distribution to the required users.

DesignInc were responsible for the laboratory design that ensures all these processes are managed in a seamless manner, from trucks pulling into specially designed bays to offload or collect blood products, through to storage rooms equipped with purpose built cool rooms and refrigerators all operating a pre-set temperatures to maintain each product in perfect condition.

According to Bill Dowzer, BVN Principal, “This state of the art blood processing facility reflects Australian Red Cross Blood Services’ investment in their people and the highly technical processes needed to guarantee a reliable blood service.”

The four storey building has been designed with substantial areas of planting on the roof that makes an elevated garden for use by staff for recreation and quiet space and views across the surrounding rooftops to the city. In addition to parking under the building, there is secure bicycle and motorbike parking with accompanying change rooms and facilities.

This project was opened on Wednesday 8 June by the Catherine King, MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing.

According to James Bargh, Project Director, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, “I am incredibly proud of the result, as it really is a world class blood processing centre and we are already receiving interest from other international blood service providers wishing to learn from our expertise.”

David Wheeldon

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