What are the key factors influencing hospital and health facility design for South Pacific Island Nations?
by Ron Bridgefoot
Healthcare Sector Leader dwp | design worldwide partnership

The South Pacific is a widespread ocean region of island nations populated by diverse cultures and ethnicities.
Indigenous people in the area (Melanesians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Papuans, and Torres Strait Indigenous Australians) are over-represented globally for infectious and non-communicable diseases concentrations.
Social and environmental factors such as poverty, education, and access to health care are assumed to be significant drivers of this disease burden. However, there is also some developing evidence that genetic and microbiotic factors could also have an impact.

What are the key factors influencing hospital and health facility design for South Pacific Island Nations?
by Ron Bridgefoot
Healthcare Sector Leader dwp | design worldwide partnership

The South Pacific is a widespread ocean region of island nations populated by diverse cultures and ethnicities.
Indigenous people in the area (Melanesians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Papuans, and Torres Strait Indigenous Australians) are over-represented globally for infectious and non-communicable diseases concentrations.
Social and environmental factors such as poverty, education, and access to health care are assumed to be significant drivers of this disease burden. However, there is also some developing evidence that genetic and microbiotic factors could also have an impact.

Can mass timber constructions provide a low-carbon alternative to steel and concrete structures?

Timber is one of the world’s oldest building materials and has been valued for its raw beauty, versatility, and strength since ancient times. Today, it remains one of the most popular materials for architects and designers, used for everything from cladding to structural framing. Over the past three decades, however, advancements in new types of innovative engineered timber products have revolutionised the way we use wood in construction. Mass timber products, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam), offer an exceptionally strong, low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel structures. They can be used for everything from simple load-bearing systems to major timber-frame structures and complete wood structure solutions, enabling architects to build bigger and higher with timber.

Around the world, timber towers—often dubbed “plyscrapers”—are rising in our cities, challenging the conventional notion of cities as concrete and steel jungles. The world’s tallest is the 85-metre-tall Mjøstårnet tower in the Norwegian town of Brumunddal; while the HoHo Vienna in Austria stretches 84 metres into the sky; in Vancouver, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has recently designed a “hybrid” tower that combines steel and concrete with a timber frame; and by 2024, Japan’s Sumitomo Group hopes to use CLT to build a 70-storey wood skyscraper in Tokyo.

The Why – Climate Emergency

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face as a global community. As we increasingly see its impact on our world, it’s clear that shifting to sustainable practices is critical not just for the future but also for our prosperity and individual wellbeing today. “When we look at the world through the hopeful eyes of our future generations, we wish them a brighter future,” says Shanica Saenrak Hall, dwp Group Sustainability Leader. “It is our obligation as designers to minimize the impacts to our world and ensure sustainability is at the core of how we inhabit the built environment.”

According to the 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction by the United Nations Environment Programme, the building and construction sector accounted for almost 40% of total global energy-related CO2 emissions. In response to alarming statistics such as this, dwp has committed to reimagining our built environment as part of the Architects Declare movement and is continuing to improve sustainability deliverables.

Over the past decade, dwp has been at the forefront of this movement. In 2015, dwp designed the Echuca Regional Health Hospital Redevelopment, which boasts an array of sustainable features, including one of Australia’s largest solar thermal cooling installations; and in 2017, dwp delivered the 6 Star Green Star Western Sydney University Science Building, setting new standards in Australian construction.

Key to the evolution of sustainable design practices are green building rating tools, such as Living Building Challenge and WELL. “The synergies between these different systems change the way we think about sustainability,” says Saenrak Hall. “At dwp, we are constantly informed by these innovative learnings.”

The Why – Climate Emergency

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face as a global community. As we increasingly see its impact on our world, it’s clear that shifting to sustainable practices is critical not just for the future but also for our prosperity and individual wellbeing today. “When we look at the world through the hopeful eyes of our future generations, we wish them a brighter future,” says Shanica Saenrak Hall, dwp Group Sustainability Leader. “It is our obligation as designers to minimize the impacts to our world and ensure sustainability is at the core of how we inhabit the built environment.”

According to the 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction by the United Nations Environment Programme, the building and construction sector accounted for almost 40% of total global energy-related CO2 emissions. In response to alarming statistics such as this, dwp has committed to reimagining our built environment as part of the Architects Declare movement and is continuing to improve sustainability deliverables.

Over the past decade, dwp has been at the forefront of this movement. In 2015, dwp designed the Echuca Regional Health Hospital Redevelopment, which boasts an array of sustainable features, including one of Australia’s largest solar thermal cooling installations; and in 2017, dwp delivered the 6 Star Green Star Western Sydney University Science Building, setting new standards in Australian construction.

Key to the evolution of sustainable design practices are green building rating tools, such as Living Building Challenge and WELL. “The synergies between these different systems change the way we think about sustainability,” says Saenrak Hall. “At dwp, we are constantly informed by these innovative learnings.”

How will stadium design be impacted by the considerations of a post-pandemic world?

Michael Hegarty
CEO of dwp | design worldwide partnership

The COVID-19 pandemic saw mass disruption to live entertainment and sporting venues globally and while there is growing optimism around the resumption of economic activity, social functions, and major events as vaccine roll-outs gain momentum, the long-term impact of the pandemic on stadiums is uncertain.
With the likely ongoing need for flexible spaces that can accommodate rapidly changing needs around social distancing and hygiene measures, however, it is clear that we need to begin to re-think stadium design for a post-pandemic world.

We collectively need a thorough understanding of the longer term changes to stadium standards and spectator management, and need to understand how to integrate the relevant changes into the design of upgrades or new facilities.
At dwp | design worldwide partnership, we are well placed to tackle these challenges. We take a proactive and collaborative approach to risk management, and our global studios are located in countries that have generally been successful in reducing the spread and impact of COVID-19.