The Murray Bridge Soldiers Memorial Hospital (MBSMH) Emergency Department (ED) is one component of a wider existing site upgrade that also includes the relocated Administration, refurbished Central Sterilising Supply Department (CSSD) and fire services upgrade in the South Australian regional town of Murray Bridge.

A key conceptual driver for the ED component was to provoke a sense of pride within the community. With the layout and program strictly prescribed by function and operational parameters, it was imperative to emphasise through design that the hospital and all its functions are an integral principal public building that serves to strengthen the sense of community.

The design resolved long standing existing issues by separating pedestrian, ambulance and public car access and egress. Functional relationships have also been programmed into the design. Secure and logical progress through the facility provides privacy and safety to staff, patients and visitors, while discrete closed treatment bays afford a high-level of privacy and balance of supervision for vulnerable patients. Connections to existing hospital facilities and units have also been strengthened with improved internal wayfinding and circulation hierarchy.

Externally, the project provides a prominent “meeting place” that both acknowledges traditional owners and preserves the prominence of the existing war memorial monument. The redevelopment resolves wayfinding and access, offering a plaza to be shared by the community for ANZAC day functions.

Furniture: Workspace Commercial Furniture. Lighting: Various. Finishes: James Hardie, Cemintel, Austral Bricks, Revolution Roofing, Laminex, Dulux, Dupont, Armstrong, Altro, Armstrong, Italia Ceramics, Interface. Fittings & Fixtures: CS Group, Woven Image, Instyle.

Photography: David Sievers Photography (Image 1-3), Mark Wiltshire (Image 4).