Hospital in running for WA architecture gongs

Honouring excellence in the design and construction industry, the Australian Institute of Architects’ annual WA Architecture Awards celebrate the significant contribution architects make to the quality of the built environment.

The Narrogin Health Service is in the running for an award this year, up against eight other entries in the public architecture category.

In an approach to health architecture, architect Silver Thomas Hanley championed the vision of hospitals as key community buildings, which should evoke a sense of “pride” and “place”.

The NHS redevelopment sought to deliver a facility which showed through design thinking, community consultation and collaboration can result in a project as beautiful as it is functional.

STH project architect Nathan Limpus said the prominent entrance canopies were inspired by a key visual icon of the region — stacked hay bales.

Proportioned sheets of golden straw-coloured cladding are stacked on a metal frame to create an inspiring new identity.

“As Narrogin is a progressive rural community with a strong history, we wanted to draw on some context from the local region and it has a rich natural landscape dominated by the expansive farming fields out there and our inspiration was on the stacked hay bales in the farmers’ fields,” he said.

“It was about creating something that was ‘now’ for the community as well.

“There are a lot of heritage buildings in and around that site and we really wanted to represent something that was a major redevelopment for Narrogin and in 50 years time be a landmark of what happened.”

Another local entry is the Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Centre by iredale pedersen hook architects in partnership with Advanced Timber Concepts Studio.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the AIA presentation will be a virtual one this year. It will be live streamed on Friday, June 26.