A few months ago, construction began on Queensland’s new children’s hospital at South Brisbane, which will see the existing Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s hospitals merge. Australian architecture firms Lyons www.lyonsarch.com.au and Conrad Gargett Architecture www.conradgargett.com.au have been commissioned to design this mammoth project. I know the new hospital is an extremely contentious issue, but for the sake of this blog post, let’s all leave our opinions at the door and look at the hospital simply from a design point of view.

The concept for the design is that of ‘a living tree,’ a network of ‘trunks and branches’ which permeate the building and connect inside and outside. What I love about this design are the vibrant colours and the seemingly oscillating exterior - it almost reminds me of The Caterpillar’s abode in Wonderland. What’s more, the structure sits in a generous urban park which can serve as a gathering place for the children and their families. I think the establishment is architecturally bold for its purpose and has been thoughtfully designed, keeping in mind the clientele and showing a commitment to evidence based design.

Once completed, the Queensland Children’s Hospital will have about 71,000 sqm of floor space and around 359 beds. The hospital is due to open at Southbank in 2014.

- QH guest blogger Michaela Tam