Billard Leece Partnership designed the Austin Health Short Stay Unit located in Melbourne, Australia.

BLP designed and delivered this new Short Stay Unit for Austin Hospital above the ambulance bay to optimize real estate on the very constrained site. The façade adopts the existing hospital tower’s aesthetic but features red panels with distorted proportions to form super graphic chevrons that clarify wayfinding. The unit includes an additional 20 beds for pediatric and short stay observation patients, and four beds for the Psychiatric Assessment and Planning Unit. The layout is optimized to enable ED patients to be identified early and streamed to an appropriate specialist facility to receive personalized care. An indoor lounge opens up to a safe outdoor lounge, flooded with natural light and long views, grass underfoot, fresh air and an ability to meander in peace. The expansion significantly reduces wait times and enhances the ED’s capacity to receive patients, and enables the effective management of patients who require extended treatment.

Architect: Billard Leece Partnership
Photography: Ian Ten Seldam