New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 30/12 | Page 33

Preceding pages and left:
The new Harry Perkins Institute
for Medical Research in Perth,
designed by Hames Sharley,
features a double skin facade
and external blinds that help
to reduce solar gain. The
precast concrete facade with
slot windows encloses lightcontrolled laboratories.
Below left:A black ceiling
creates an intimate entry for
workers on the other side of the
main foyer.
Below:Large animated displays
in the foyer re-create the work
of the medical researchers. The
artwork at right is a stylised MRI
scan with a moving display that
highlights various parts of the
body in turn.

Edwards says the concept of accessibility and
openness was a key driver for the design, helping
to determine the ground-level entry to the building.
“In the past, august institutions such as this
would have had processional steps leading up to
a formal entry. We wanted to create an entry that
would not be intimidating. This was part of our brief
– to provide a facility that would have strong links
to the local community.”
To this end, the ground-floor foyer has been
designed as a public display and function space.
An electronic artwork covering almost 100m2
displays colourful images of microscopic research
across three double-sided digital banners, which
are visible from inside and outside the building.
A second installation portrays oversized MRI
images of the human body, and presents a vertical
beam of light that travels the length of the installation, simulating an MRI scan. Moving digital
screens stop at points to run videos of Perkins
research relating to each part of the body.
“Furthering the human body analogy with the
building, an exploration of human anatomy reveals
an intensity of colour, pattern and activity internally,
and this is reflected in the use of colour and pattern
right through the building – not just in the displays,”

says Edwards. “Both the colour palette and the
patterns have been abstracted from magnified
microscopic images provided by the researchers,
with warm colours giving way to cooler shades
moving up the building.
“Concentrations of colour are provided where
there are the most intense concentrations of
people, notably the highly activated core of the
building, which houses meeting rooms, lunchrooms, lifts, toilets and the stairway.”
Edwards says the dramatic sculptural form of the
stairway was designed to encourage staff to use
the stairs rather than lifts.
“We needed to provide opportunities for people
to connect and interact informally. Initially, the client
thought this might have been a waste of space that
could otherwise be used for laboratories, but we
recognised that it would help to break down
territorial boundaries, which was extremely important. An open stair avoids barricades – it opens up
each floor rather than closing it off.”
The extensive use of natural timber, which can
be seen in the stair balustrading, ceiling panels and
in other circulation areas, was designed to help
humanise the very sterile, controlled environment of
the laboratories.

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