Tairāwhiti Gisborne Hospital is working to meet the rising demand for enhanced mental health and addiction care through the establishment of an advanced care facility designed with Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) principles.
We were part of a design consortium led by Mode Architects, which provided building services, ICT, security and communications, acoustics consulting, and Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) services for a new advanced mental health and addiction inpatient care facility being built at Gisborne Hospital to replace an existing but no longer suitable unit.
The modern facility was expected to support staff in delivering contemporary models of care, bolstering their capacity and elevating the quality of care for patients grappling with mental health and addiction challenges. These include types of support and possible intervention that cannot be safely provided in a community setting or a less acute inpatient service facility.
Co-designed with the community
A place of healing and transformation, the facility has been designed to create a safe, homely environment using patient-centric approaches and salutogenic design principles.
Our project team employed a co-design process that entailed gathering feedback from those with lived experience: tangata whai ora, carers, whānau, visitors, and staff. Many elements identified throughout the co-design process were carried through to delivery, such as the users’ ability to control their environment with lighting.
Integrating biophilic design for connection to nature and culture
The facility is designed with recovery-focused care as a high priority. Careful consideration has been given to cultural features, décor, and materials. Under the idea that “puts patients first”, it incorporates design elements that support health and well-being, such as circadian rhythm lighting, biophilic materials (i.e. connecting patients and staff to the natural environment), visual and auditory privacy, and thermal comfort. The design also incorporates kaupapa Māori to enable traditional ceremonies.
The acoustic design considers both reverberation time control and acoustic diffusion for these rooms, which have unique noise requirements to maintain acoustic comfort and enable recovery and healing.
Using patient-centric approaches, the design includes a strategically placed day room and a semi-open courtyard. Traditional nurse stations were not placed in the centre of patient areas, promoting freedom and choice. Simple way-finding and an extensive glazed facade created a clear line of sight and passive surveillance. At the same time, a private courtyard and observation areas in corridors provided service users with a sense of safety and privacy.
Environmental sustainability at the core
The design team implemented several key sustainability initiatives to meet Te Whatu Ora’s sustainability design guidelines and the New Zealand Carbon Neutral Government Programme, which requires public sector agencies to measure, publicly report, and reduce their emissions by 2025 and offset any they cannot reduce. Some key initiatives included:
- building envelope – embedding high insulation levels to improve thermal performance and reduce energy consumption.
- zero energy – all energy is generated on-site with a renewable energy supply. A solar energy system produces enough power annually to operate the building, with excess power being fed back to the main hospital.
- healthy interior environment –a mixed-mode ventilation strategy, in the common areas, allows natural ventilation throughout the year, particularly when outside temperatures are more pleasant. Greater ventilation means patients can enjoy the advantages of connecting with natural surroundings, with access to external views and ample natural daylight in at least 75 percent of regularly occupied spaces.
- water efficiency – reducing potable water use by 50 percent against a reference regional building of a similar type. This was achieved through rainwater harvesting to irrigate gardens and flush toilets (as well as other site needs) and highly efficient fixtures.