33: Auckland Hospital
What if Auckland Hospital could spare a thought for the people that move through and around it?
The Auckland Hospital seemed an obvious candidate to continue a series thinking about disappointing government buildings and institutions in Auckland.
It certainly does not present a very friendly face to the city on Grafton Road and is almost unintelligible as to how to enter from the street and move through the site at ground level.
4 simple strategies that could really go some way to addressing these issues include thinking about and better providing for all the forms of transport that people use to come and go from what the hospital, particularly public transport and the active modes; in future architectural projects making effort to appear less institutional where possible and bring a more friendly, engaging and outward looking public face to the campus; implement an integrated strategy of pedestrian way finding at both ground and the elevated routes through the upper levels of buildings; and look to capitalise much more on the interface with the Auckland Domain including enhance public access for both patients, visitors and staff.
It seems it is quite difficult to have a conversation about urban design and the health sector without getting responses that it is the health of patients that is the priority of the DHBs and they don’t have time or resources to spend on non-core activities like design.
Well as Dr Sudhvir Singh acknowledged in his Sir John Logan Campbell Lecture at the Auckland Town Hall last night, the links between public health and the urban design of the city are becoming increasingly understood. There is a growing evidence base from both fields to support this internationally.
Wouldn’t it be good if our hospitals and healthcare providers could start to the lead the way in implementing the change that falls out of this thinking on the ground?
It seems there are some good initiatives underway already: the Auckland DHB has recently been working on a research project with AUT to understand peoples’ experience of the public spaces at the Grafton campus. This looks like great stuff. It would be great to see this turn into change on the ground in the future.
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One architectural researcher noted that hospitals all over the world tend to be “built catastrophes” – incremental but often relentless growth, lack of a central strategy, lack of money to do things well…
I wonder how much they could do with 140000000 $
This would not only help the general public, but it would be great for visitors and patients with disabilities. People with intellectual disabilities for example would benefit greatly from improvements in way finding, and less time spent walking around lost would benefit people (disabled or otherwise) who have problems with fatigue. In reality the hospital is a surprisingly disabling environment and it’s physical environment is only the start of the problems!
Good design of the main building ( I am ignoring all of the associated buildings) starts right at the entrance. How many main buildings of any hospital are built on an imposing plinth which requires patients with motor difficulties to have to negotiate steps, stairs and steep inclines. And this is before they reach the building.
The interior of any hospital can only be matched for bewildering confusion by Tepapa Museum.
The question is: would the health benefits of x dollars on this exceed x dollars on more hip replacements. If yes, do it, if not, waste of money.
Well they seem to have spent a fortune on roading and car parking. So can spend money on footpaths. Have obligation to be accessible to the community. Buildings must have wide corridors, no stairs and other facilities to ensure they are accessible. But nothing for the urban environment.
They spend money on carparking because (in the case of Auckland Hospital) it has traditionally been woefully inadequate, and also it generates valuable revenue. The state provides the “bare bones” funding for medical necessities, but nothing more. A lot of money is also spent on upgrading facilities for patients, families and visitors, via fundraising such as that done by the starship foundation, such as fold down beds in rooms so that parents can sleep beside their children who are in hospital, or having a specific kids MRI machine. I imagine footpaths and architecture are fairly low down the list, whether or not you believe that they have an “obligation to the community” in that regard,