6 minute read
Devlyn Australia
RESPECTFUL AND COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO NEWMAN healthcare hub
THE TEAM
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Phone: 9456 9456 www.devlyn.com.au Photos Mitchell Yeats
KAUNITZ YEUNG ARCHITECTURE
Phone: (02) 9007 2098 www.kaunitzyeung.com
esigned by Kaunitz Yeung Architecture and built by Devlyn Australia, the Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS) Healthcare Hub Newman is the first primary D healthcare facility of any type to be constructed in Newman. Newman is the main town in the Shire of East Pilbara and has a district population of 15,000. Situated 1400km north of Perth, the town has a population of 10,000, the majority of whom are Aboriginal. Located in the East Pilbara region, PAMS is an Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Service and delivers services in communities located in the Great Sandy, Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts.
The project required a best practice regional primary health care facility to be the physical embodiment of the client culture, placing wellness at the centre of community. Community focused, connected to country, incorporating culture and providing high standard care, the project incorporates a primary health clinic, PAMS head office and four chair hemodialysis.
The clinic includes general practice, child/maternal health, dental, treatment and allied health facilities for visiting clinicians from Perth.
Patients no longer need to travel to Perth A key aim was to minimise the large cost and negative mental health impacts of Martu and Niaboli people having to leave country and family for treatment in Perth.
The project places community at the centre of health delivery while providing additional clinical space focused on the acute health issues of the community.
The strategic plan is focused on community and inclusion with the aim of increasing presentation rates to improve preventative health. Ultimately, increased presentation rates is a key metric of success for the project.7 Funded by the federal Department of Health, the $8 million clinic was completed on time and within budget, despite the challenges of COVID-19.
The architectural response is imbued with country, cultural and people for the objective of placing wellness at the centre of community and physically representing PAMS’ ethos. This was underpinned by the co-design process, which was an extension of the extensive co-design process that Kaunitz Yeung Architecture led during the Punmu and Parnngurr Clinics that were completed in 2018. This was further reinforced by the architect spending significant time in the communities over a number of years through the projects.
Sense of ownership and pride Robby Chibawe, CEO of PAMS, said the respectful and collaborative approach by Kaunitz Yeung Architecture with the Martu Elders and communities has created a deep sense of ownership and pride in this health centre amongst the local community.
“Designing, creating and delivering a new building on time and within a tight budget is hard enough, let alone in the midst of global pandemic, but David and his team did just that with an abundance of professionalism and care,” Mr Chibawe said.
Courtyard buildings are a logical and well-used model for desert climates as they provide a delicate, habitable heart-to-buildings within the harshest of environments. Sheltered from the harsh winds and sun, courtyards enable landscaping to flourish and people to gather and this was central to the planning of this project.
The courtyard forms the fulcrum of the building. Along its other axis entry is enabled from the car park and the new public park. The landscaping from the public park flows into the courtyard, drawing people with it. On its other edge the roof bulbs out to form a discreet porte-cochere to facilitate vehicular access which includes PAMS community transport.
Phone: 08 9923 4000 facebook.com/GBSCYurra/ @GBSCYurra
The roof from both wings falls towards the courtyard which is timber decked in Australian hardwoods to minimise any heat sink effect and to be comfortable even under bare feet. Downpipes are replaced with spouts that guide the water into the central swale which is planted with mature Eucalyptus Vitrix trees, mimicking the dry riverbeds so characteristic of Martu and Niaboli country. In the rare rain events of the year the courtyard is briefly transformed just as the surrounding country is.
State of the art facility In the tradition of Critical Regionalism this project provides a stateof-the-art facility which is deeply rooted in place and imbued with humanity that engenders community ownership. This is central to physically representing the ethos of PAMS and increasing presentation rates.
In achieving this, the project has placed wellness at the centre of community which imperative in the efforts to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Above all this is achieved by involving Aboriginal people and respecting and reflecting people, culture and country.
Kaunitz Yeung Architecture is a multi-award winning internationally recognised practice founded by the husband-andwife team of David Kaunitz and Ka Wai Yeung. It combines their extensive commercial experience with David’s knowledge of living in and working with communities. The result is architecture that places people at its centre and shows that good architecture does not need to necessarily be a luxury item. Their projects are bespoke solutions that sensitively respond to clients, stakeholders, end user requirements, site context and the budget.
The PAMS project continues more than 15 years of developing their approach in producing architecture that respects and integrates with people, country and culture. In particular this project has helped us further develop their approach to arid architecture in Australia following 10 years of working in the WA desert.
Extensive experience in commercial construction Devlyn Construction was established in 1990, specialising in commercial construction. Their extensive experience in the industry affords them insight into the needs of their clients, allowing them to consult on every aspect of the construction process.
Devlyn’s focus is on the relationships that they build. They strive to create and maintain lasting relationships with their clients, based on their faith in Devlyn to deliver a level of quality which exceeds expectations, with attention to detail no matter the size or nature of the job. The specific needs of their clients are met through a careful process of planning and project management for each individual job, from design through to completion.
Devlyn also strives to build genuine partnerships with collaborators in the industry by surrounding themselves with suppliers, subcontractors and professionals who they trust and respect to ensure that every job is completed seamlessly and to the utmost standard.
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