Canadian Architect Tye Farrow is pleased with the new timber-rich College of Creative Arts Building at Massey University’s Wellington campus. Source: Fairfax NZ News
No hospital in New Zealand has been built out of timber, and the Christchurch rebuild was a “game-changer”.
Canterbury’s new health facilities should have more timber to enhance health and wellbeing, according to Tye Farrow, who has been given the First World Architect Award for Advancing Health and Humanity using the medium of health and architecture by Stockholm-based World Congress on Design and Health.
In a Christchurch lecture, he spoke of the importance of thinking about how architecture can enhance the health of people in hospitals.
His architectural firm has worked on many projects around the world, including a timber hospital in Canada.
“Wood has never been used extensively in a hospital environment. The perception was that it was going to be difficult and more expensive, but we found that to be the opposite. It really seemed to resonate with people, because they saw something that was familiar and comfortable and natural.
We found materials such as [timber] seemed to resonate deeply within us,” he said.
He encouraged city planners to think about the legacy of the building.
“If you’re building a new office building, think about if you want office space that makes you work at 120%, and will attract young people, or if you just want . . . to work at 70%.”
