The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) has relocated over 800 staff to its recently completed six-level clinical and workspace building in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.   

Designed by Gray Puksand, the leading hospital’s new accommodation responds to the need to relocate RMH’s non-clinical services offsite to expand the clinical and outpatient services at its existing Parkville campus. 

The design features six floors of workspace, and clinical and non-clinical support facilities, providing staff and patients with a warm, light-filled environment for advanced medical treatments. Clinical services include an Outpatient Renal Dialysis Unit, a Multiple Sclerosis Centre, and a Neuropsychiatry Outpatient Department that is set to treat over 30,000 patients each year.  

“The design challenge undertaken by the team was to create spaces that feel warm, welcoming, and as much like ‘home’ as possible, providing inclusivity and promoting diversity throughout,” said Gupta. 

“Our vision was to transform a clinical and often sterile hospital setting into what feels like a luxury hotel experience for its users, while still remaining cost-effective.” 

As part of the new building, The Royal Melbourne Hospital provides a highly specialised range of healthcare services like Neuropsychiatry consultancy which is not accessible for people in regional areas. With this in mind, Gray Puksand designed the lobby and reception areas to include carefully considered furniture, quiet areas for reflection and a beverage bay to encourage rest and recuperation before and after travel.  

“Healthcare settings are often characterised by white walls, hard, easy-to-clean surfaces and harsh lighting that creates a sterile, clinical feel,” said Seik. 

“We recognise that this is not a pleasant, comfortable, or inspiring space for patients and staff to be in for long periods of time. That’s why we designed people-centred spaces, providing users with a warm, tranquil, and welcoming environment that forms an oasis from the city below.”