Construction Specialties are very proud to be associated with the prestigious new Calvary Adelaide Hospital in South Australia. The state-of-the-art hospital facility employs over 600 staff members and provides care to over 27,000 people each year.

Hospitals can be a daunting and stressful environment for both patients and their families alike, it can be an anxious time particularly for those undergoing care. The early planning stages of the Calvary Adelaide Hospital design, sought to create an interior aesthetic by designing a warm and inviting environment.

Research has consistently reported that inspirational wall imagery can directly assist with patient and staff well-being. These studies have shown that certain pieces of art and imagery can reduce a patient’s length of stay, blood pressure, heart rate and even in some cases the amount of pain medication required. Art really is a positive distraction, directly or indirectly.

With inspiration from the hospital team and patients themselves, the architects and interior designers at Silver Thomas Hanley (STH) created various themes. Each level has a specific theme to not only creatively distinguish the levels, but also aid in wayfinding throughout the facility. The themes include, ‘Picnic in the Park, ‘Sunday Roast’, ‘Backyard BBQ’, ‘Urban Café’, ‘Vineyard’ and ‘Beach Shack’. The graphic design patterns were cleverly incorporated into the unique Acrovyn by Design® walling panels in the patient bedrooms and behind wash basins.

The team at STH also worked closely with Calvary Adelaide Hospital to select suitable South Australian images from local photographer Ben Goode. The beautiful choice of photography is carefully selected to incorporate a mood of tranquility and calmness and are situated in various locations around the hospital. For example, the staff area on level 5 has a ‘trees and forests’ theme to help boost calmness for staff members, whilst on their meal breaks, in what is often a demanding work environment.

On completion of the project, Inta Thomas, Senior Interior Designer at STH and the Calvary Adelaide Hospital team said, “The hospital is very happy with the finished walling design and clarity of the large wall imagery, with Acrovyn by Design® being very suitable for a strict infection conscious hospital environment.”

Inta Thomas also stated, “We chose Acrovyn by Design® as a high-quality product and its suitability to the hospital environment to deliver high clarity images”. The team at STH specifically chose Acrovyn by Design® for its proven design flexibility and functional properties, which are very important in modern healthcare design.

The flexibility of Acrovyn by Design® really allows true creative freedom for the final design. In addition, Acrovyn by Design® delivers high performance wall protection for critical hygienic applications where potential cross infection can be present – this is particularly important in the new COVID world we find ourselves in.

The architects and interior designers at STH were suitably impressed with the successful Acrovyn by Design® installation at the Calvary Adelaide Hospital stating, “Construction Specialties provided great customer support, advice and attention to detail to both Silver Thomas Hanley and the on-site construction team”.

For your next Health care project that requires design flexibility and high performance; choose Acrovyn by Design® for a complete solution. Rather than a less inviting clinical wall treatment, Acrovyn by Design® makes it easy to create an environment that feels warm and inviting, whilst still protecting your health care facility.

Project Acknowledgements

• Architects: Silver Thomas Hanley
• Contractor: John Holland
• Installer: JRCM Commercial Joinery
• Photographer: Russell Millard Photography