Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, located in Brisbane's Southbank precinct is a 12-level quaternary facility that accommodates specialist acute and sub-acute services together with research and teaching facilities.
A joint venture by Conrad Gargett and Lyons Architecture, the hospital is designed around the idea of a ‘living tree’ representing a network of 'trunks and branches', which punctuate the building and connect inside and outside.
The children’s hospital is located in a generous urban park, which serves as a gathering place for the local Southbank community. Using the versatility and wide colour range of Alpolic aluminium composite panels, the architects were able to take an environmental design approach that engaged with, and absorbed the surrounding elements of the building.
The colour palette of Alpolic cladding panels used in the project included Champagne Gold Metallic, Dulux Green Stain, Dulux Hyssop, Dulux Mali, Dulux Pitcher and Resene Killarney.
A standout winner at the 2015 Queensland Architecture Awards, Lady Cilento Children's Hospital was honoured with the F D G Stanley Award for Public Architecture as well as the Karl Langer Award for Urban Design. Additionally, the project also won the Australian Institute of Architects Prize for Art and Architecture and the Interior Architecture award.
This collaboration between Conrad Gargett and Lyons Architecture is not only an asset to the environment but also sets the design standard for future hospitals. The use of Alpolic/FR fire resistant aluminium composite panels on the facade made the project stand out in design while fitting in perfectly with the environment.