Visiting hospital can be a time of great stress, trauma, and uncertainty for patients and their loved ones. Navigating the labyrinthine hospital campus can be challenging, especially with the emotional weight of one’s illness mitigating the experience further.

Hospital spaces seldom embrace narratives of personal wellbeing and healing – this is a missed opportunity to promote healthcare on individual and community levels. The psychological and spiritual journey of patients and whānau are essential to provide exceptional human-centered experiences.

Following a deep ethnographic immersion to better understand the needs of healthcare users, we have identified an opportunity to reframe how hospitals connect with, and support communities. Our conceptual proposal for a new building being constructed at the North Shore Hospital campus redesigns the outdoor-to-indoor transition at the front entrance of the proposed building. We believe the current stigma surrounding healthcare needs changing, so the emphasis of our design, Te Waharoa Hauora, is empowering an individuals’ intent to seek wellness.

“Te Waharoa Hauora” means “The Gateway to Wellness” and traverses three key areas – the garden, the gateway, and the entrance. The garden is informed by biophilic design principles where every aspect is an integration of nature and architecture. The garden is also influenced by Māori values such as Te Whare Tapa Whā, alongside other multi-cultural values to put this vision of healthcare into the perspective of preexisting perceptions that real people have about wellness. The garden spaces to the left and right of the gateway are contemporary, multicultural orchards consisting of plants such as citrus and flax, and open plan seating. This supports sensory engagement by the means of smell and touch, offering a calm outside of the hospital walls.

The gateway is the primary passageway to the front entrance. The curvilinear theme with organic geometry compassionately amplifies the strength in a patient’s independence as they embark on their healthcare journeys. The dominant use of yellow communicates a “beacon of care” approach to wellbeing. These elements are reflected in the canopy contours, as well as the mosaic tiling being a part of the wayfinding experience. The gateway seating incorporates an assortment of blue and purple flowers as a nod to the spiritual palette of Reiki Healing. The materiality and biophilic design integrated throughout the space brings gravity to the emotional experience of pursuing independent wellness.

People will arrive at the front entrance to the building. The exterior of the airlock consists of wooden contours that are positioned to accommodate privacy, as well as intuitive directory. The airlock space is open, providing the requisite space necessary for disability services and other facilities. A sculptural installation represents the congregation of patients, whānau, and staff as they come together before continuing on their own healthcare journeys. 

This proposal challenges those who design and facilitate healthcare spaces to better empathise with people who come together in the name of better health and wellness. Te Waharoa Hauora is a reimagined approach for how hospital environments might better support the growth of wellbeing in our communities.

Through an immersive ethnographic research process at a North Shore Hospital main campus, we identified a disconnect between community and the hospital. We responded by reimagining the courtyard of the proposed Tōtara Haumaru building as an opportunity to offer a transformative welcoming experience, by bringing the two paradigms of healthcare and community together.

A goal was to highlight the importance of one's personal health journey and what health might mean to different people and to celebrate inclusivity for the diverse community of Aotearoa.

Site Analysis and research:  
Lake Pupuke was formed from a Tupua couple, the children of the Fire Gods. The couple had insulted Mahuika the Fire Goddess, Mahuika had their home ripped out by Mataoho, the god of earthquakes, which is where Lake Pupuke stands. The earth was then thrown offshore, which became Rangitoto.  Our research acknowledged the diversity of Auckland’s community. Consequently, the inclusion of other models of healthcare was paramount. By coalescing themes across traditional healthcare models from around the pacific, we found Touch, Nature, Water, and Whānau were mostly universal concepts. 

Our Concept
Rongoā Garden serves as a community hub offering space for both public and private interactions where families can heal, relax and recuperate. Through this concept we identified four modes of healing:
Touch: Spaces encourage intimacy and privacy. Visitors and patients can express care through physical touch.
Water: A small central pond provides an anchor for wayfinding; the flow of water over basalt rocks below the elevated deck pays homage to Takapuna.
Nature: Incorporating Rongoā Rakau, Rongoā Garden represents a Māori health journey. whilst complimenting other practices such as shin-rin yoku (Japanese forest bathing).
Whānau: The design encourages people to wander and sit within the garden as a place to unwind.

Within the space there is a zone of transition from public to private. Due to the restricted staff access toward the far end, a cul-de-sac is incorporated. This directs visitors from the entrance toward the staff area, before looping back to exit from where they entered. Foliage has been strategically placed to encourage privacy for patients occupying ground level wards to obscure windows from the public gaze yet allowing connections to nature for those in care.

Topography and Elevation: The subtle increase of elevation invites users to rise into the bush past forms inspired by Rangitoto’s lava flows.
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Water feature: Representing Takapuna and the springs, this feature encourages interaction between users as a talking point, and site of reflection.

Lighting: During the evenings the garden is gently lit by warmer tones, creating a nostalgic outdoor effect within the space.  

‍Seating: With thoughtful consideration to accessibility and inclusivity for the diverse community, various forms of seating are scattered among the foliage, some public and others more private. The seating at the entrance of the space is integrated into the garden beds and asks users to be more informal with their interactions. The seating towards the rear of the garden is more private and formalised, asking users to acknowledge each other's personal space.

‘Inside the Tōtara’ honours the Tōtora tree that was cut down to make space for this new building. This species of tree represents everything that roots us, anchors us, identifies us and locates us in the Māori world. Inspired by nature and play, our solution offers people a sense of escapism and utopia; the ability to relax in what is otherwise a stressful environment. This courtyard space is reminiscent of a treetop experience through organic, abstract forms and the use natural materials. A homage to the tōtara tree is visualised through minimalistic sculptural centrepiece. It serves as the heart of the space and acknowledges that we are growing something new in its place. Each of the four elements to this centrepiece represent different stages of a tree’s growth over time. The walls and floor are illustrated with projected interactive designs enhancing the spaces’ ability to design for the future and adapt to change.

The central walls and floor spaces become canvases for projected illustrations that breathe life into the space. The illustrations can be changed to reflect the day, season or era, allowing the space to grow and develop with the people and community surrounding it. Patients and whānau are encouraged to use a tablet to draw or write contributions that will be projected into the space. This interactivity creates connectivity amongst patients that can reduce stress and anxiety, provide something to focus on and serve as a medium for people to express their feelings. The wall creates an opportunity for contribution to the space, it acts as a collective thought area, it enhances people’s sense of belonging and grows with the community.

‘Inside the Tōtara’ provides an experiential escape with a new approach of connecting nature with play in a hospital environment. Featuring:

• A courtyard for patients to wander, with an archway mimicking overhanging tree branches.
  
• Seating on either side of the entrance that opens into a lounge and relaxation area on one side and a forest themed family area for young children to play and relax on the other.
  
• Above is a patient lounge and viewing platform that can be accessed via the lifts. This looks out over the entire courtyard that is sheltered by several leaf-like structures.
  
• Seating around the Tōtara sculpture with stations for the tablets that people can use to interact with the projected wall illustrations.
  
• The shelter mimics the shape of clouds at different levels in the sky. These ‘clouds’ are held up by a series of poles that enhance the whimsical and playful feeling of a tree top forest.