An innovative design project created in a partnership with QUT to help children and their families navigate their way through the Queensland Children's Hospital (QCH) has been acclaimed by international design leaders.
The redesign of the entertainment precinct on Level 6 of QCH was recently recognised with an A' Design Award, one of the world's largest and influential design accolades.
The Journey to Fun project brought together ideas from Children's Health Queensland (CHQ) staff and patients, alongside researchers and designers from the QUT Design Lab to reimagine the hospital's entertainment precinct, creating a fun visual identity that was distinguishable from the rest of the QCH.
The Level 6 design incorporates rainforest decals with parrots and feather imagery on the walls and floors to direct patients and their families through the entertainment precinct to partner sites like the Starlight Express Room, KidZone and Radio Lollipop.
The Iron A' Design Award is given to products, projects, services, and designs that have demonstrated outstanding design practices and the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the Awards.
QUT Design Lab's Associate Professor Jen Seevinck said it was an honour for the team to be recognised for their creative problem-solving efforts.
"Wayfinding for children and their families in hospital can be stressful. Our goal was to alleviate any confusion, help families navigate through the entertainment precinct, and create a place of joy and distraction with a strong visual identity," Dr Seevinck said.
Lynne Seear, manager for Arts in Health for CHQ said the project showed the benefits of co-design in health care, incorporating the voices of those who use and work in the space, alongside designers, artists, and architects.
"It was our hope that Level 6 would become famous in terms of what it has to offer children and their families, offsetting the clinical environment at the QCH with opportunities for fun, play, respite and relaxation," Ms Seear said.
"Play is also essential to growth, and just because a child is in a healthcare setting, doesn't mean they stop developing."
QCH staff identified the hospital's central parrot sculpture and architectural tree concept in co-design workshops, which artist, designer and QUT HDR student in the School of Design Kirsten Baade was able to work with.
"Through my research, I found Australian parrots do a lot of things in nature like cuddling up to each other and hanging upside down, so I included these quirks in my designs and also personified some of the parrots to mirror things that the kids might do for fun in hospital," Ms Baade said.
This theme continues in the decals at the elevator entrances to Level 6; one with forest imagery, based on North Queensland tropical rainforests and the other, country fields, based on Queensland's Southern Downs region.
The A' Design accolade commended the design's integration of the hospital's architecture and surrounding environment, as well as the unique co-design and interdisciplinary approach with stakeholders which was key to the project's success.
Main image: artwork featured in the award-winning Journey to Fun project installed at the Queensland Children's Hospital
