11
This even flows through to the large screens throughout
that inform everyone exactly where aircraft are right
across Australia at any given point.
That’s right, those screens show every aircraft in position
in Australia real time and there are countdown clocks
when there’s an emergency and response time. This
design was all about patient care. That was the key driver.
Anything the building could do to facilitate patient care
and make that operation happen as quickly as possible,
letting people do their jobs as well as possible was key.
Has working on this project made you a better architect?
It’s given me an appreciation of so many different
operations and combining those areas of expertise in
one building. You learn something new on every project
and this was unique where you have aircraft, engineers,
nurses, doctors and administration in one facility all
working together.
Is there a parallel in the architecture as a healthy,
stimulating environment produced by an uplifting
building and workplace?
There’s distant views and a lot of natural light falling
into the building. Most staff have that view whether
they’re in an office or open plan environment. Even
the centrally located meeting room offers views
towards the airport apron.
What were the big questions posed to you as architect?
Patient care. The focus from the CEO, John Lynch was
“How can we get an emergency patient to a hospital and
then back to their home as quickly and as comfortably as
possible?” It was all about avoiding bad patient circulation
from that moment of arrival.
“Visitors can see through the
hangar what the operational
people are doing – and
vice versa. It was all about
transparency and making
the building visually open.”
ANDREW FRAZER, ARCHITECT