Healthcare Design - April 2017 - 14

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ABOOLTURE GP SUPER Clinic, which opened in October

2015 in Caboolture, Queensland, Australia, supports a
multidisciplinary and integrated approach to health,
housing general practice, medical services, and a fitness
center under one roof. Designers at Wilson Architects
(Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia) fostered that effort via salutogenic design, or the creation of spaces that
support health and well-being. "There's a very strong
link between feeling good and being well," says David Hooper, executive director at Caboolture GP Super Clinic. "We're focused on the system of the
wellness concept."
To achieve that concept, the two-story, $8 million facility is arranged
with clinic spaces surrounding a glass-walled, double-height internal courtyard that's lush with vertical gardens, large planters, and fish
ponds. The clinic's internal waiting areas and primary circulation pathways have views to the 3,767-square-foot area, which serves as an organizing element for wayfinding while providing a landscaped space with
access to nature, light, and activity. "The design intent was to create a
facility that's easy to navigate and not disorienting [by establishing]
strong visual connections and avoiding corridors where there's no connection between interior and exterior," says Brent Hardcastle, associate and project architect at Wilson Architects.
Columns are designed to support vertical gardens and are topped with a
skylight to encourage the plantings to grow, while bringing additional light
into the space. "The courtyard planting was selected to provide an appropriate mix of plants with vibrant colors and textural variations to create
visual interest," Hardcastle says. A café and seating areas inside the setting
help encourage patients and staff members, as well as local residents, to enjoy the space.
The wellness focus extends into clinical space, too, with additional landscaped columns in some waiting areas. To provide positive distractions for
families waiting for pediatric appointments, there's a separate play and
waiting space that features "cubby holes" in the walls where kids can climb
around or hang out. "The spaces are conceived for human interaction, promoting concepts of health and well-being," Hardcastle says.-Anne DiNardo

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APRIL 2017

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TOP: To connect
the clinic with its
community, the exterior
features a multicolored
screen that slides open,
inviting visitors into the
clinic's internal green
courtyard. RIGHT: The
columns have round
planters at the bottom
and hold a mix of
plants with vibrant
colors and texture
variations to create
visual interest. BELOW,
RIGHT: Cubby play
spaces for children
are separate from the
main waiting area
and are clad in an
American oak wood
veneer and lined with a
flexible floor vinyl that
conforms to the curved
shapes.

ALE X CHOMICZ

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Healthcare Design - April 2017

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