Architect: Hassell
Project: St Vincent’s Private Hospital, NSW, Australia
Segment: Healthcare
Products: Urban Retreat
Project Size: 5,755 sqm
A renowned institution providing healthcare for over 160 years, St Vincent’s Private Hospital underwent an exquisite transformation. Designed by Hassell, the project approximated to $140 million and consisted of two components: a refurbishment of the existing ward block space and construction of a new 14-story East Wing.
Even though the hospital is situated in a highly populated urban environment it is surrounded by nature and community parks. Hassell took inspiration from the natural elements and created a healing palette that initiated a visual dialogue with dense canopies surrounding the development.
‘We abstracted the leaf and used it to inform our design choices, through the selection of finishes, physical forms, graphics and signage,’ says Sarah Tyson, Associate at Hassell.
Due to its biophilic design inspiration the Urban Retreat Collection from Interface was the ideal choice for this project.
‘What we love about the Urban Retreat range from Interface is that it’s based around the idea that even in the most urban spaces, we instinctively crave a connection to nature. It’s a wonderful product that’s closely aligned to our interior conceptual ideas,’ Sarah explains why the story behind the carpet tile held such importance from a design point of view.
The inclusion of natural elements can improve healing and have a positive impact to the wellbeing of all users in the space. The nature inspired UR101 and UR102 carpet tile was specified across all the main corridor areas throughout the ward blocks in both buildings as well as in the patient bedrooms. The earthy pattern helped break up the space and created a natural flow that brought focus to the floor, making it easy to navigate without the need for harsh, rigid lines. ‘The aim was to bring the soft curves of the existing architecture into the interior language to find a way to break up those corridors, but also assist with wayfinding,‘ Sarah explains.
“What we love about the Urban Retreat range from Interface is that it’s based around the idea that even in the most urban spaces, we instinctively crave a connection to nature”
To achieve the desired colour, Hassell customised the product with the support of Interface’s Design Studio. The texture and tone of the carpet tile was extremely important to ensure that it would stand up to high foot traffic, rolling loads as well as be forgiving to stains. Carpet tile is a popular choice in bedrooms across private hospitals as it provides a more comforting feel to patients staying at the hospital. Sarah explains: ‘In the public sector, there are a lot of hard floor finishes throughout the corridor areas, while we always seek to provide a real homely and soft kind of environment for healthcare.’
The specification of Urban Retreat elevated the private hospital interiors, with its organic visual appeal and easy to maintain yet comforting nature. It played a crucial role in creating a practical solution for the hospital focusing on the wellbeing of its patients and staff.
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