Northern Adelaide is set to receive a new Family Health and Wellbeing Hub by 2027. The project, designed by Studio Nine Architects, aims to deliver care closer to home for residents in Elizabeth Vale and surrounding suburbs, serving the wellbeing needs of one of the state's fastest-growing communities.
Led by the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) Foundation, the project recently received $26 million in federal funding from the government's urban Precincts and Partnerships Program (uPPP). The program is targeted at delivering "multipurpose urban precincts that are place-based, tailored to the local needs and positioned around a shared vision, need or theme," the government's website reads.
The multipurpose hub is designed to accommodate a wide range of integrated services, including early parenting programs, perinatal and adolescent mental health support, student-led allied health clinics, and accommodation for new parents adjacent to the Lyell McEwin Hospital.
Studio Nine Architects' design for the facility is aimed at de-institutionalising traditional healthcare architecture by steering away from conventional clinical aesthetics. According to a statement from the architect, the intent has been to create "a visually porous outcome that invites the community in, with an approachable design that feels welcoming rather than intimidating."
"The building's fluid ground plane and seamless indoor-outdoor transition fosters a sense of openness and accessibility, ensuring the facility engages with the street and is comfortable for all to enter," the release reads.
Curved geometries have been employed with the aim of softening the built form, emphasising the building as a community space rather than as a healthcare facility. Across the site, public spaces such as community lounges, youth areas and indoor playgrounds are designed to encourage flexible, year-round use.
Vegetation plays a dual role in the project, adding both aesthetic and functional value, such as in the building's green facade. According to the architect, "The integration of greenery supports the project's broader goal: to be a place where people want to spend time, fostering wellbeing through both design and nature."
Throughout, earthy colour tones and extensive landscaping are aimed at conveying the architect's concept of "re-wilding, blending natural elements with the built environment to create a physical and psychological oasis."
CEO of the WCH Foundation Verity Gobbett commented, "The Community Health and Wellbeing Hub has the potential to make a profound difference to a region experiencing entrenched disadvantage. We are excited to be one step closer to bringing to life our vision of a vibrant community resource that fosters health, learning and connection to the people who need it most."
For Studio Nine Architects, the "concept design represents more than a building; it embodies the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation's vision for healthier, more connected communities."
