The Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee has been providing services since 1922 and required upgrades in some areas to continue to provide a high-quality service. The previous Medical Assessment Unit and the Surgical Dayward were housed in modular accommodation to the west of the existing theatre block and were no longer fit for purpose.
The driving force behind the project was to replace the existing Dayward but an opportunity was also recognised to provide new reception and admission facilities at ground floor, as well as a main entrance building accessed by the public from Balloonagh road. The new entrance was carefully designed to connect with the existing main hospital to the east and the consultant’s clinic to the west with new and old to be tied together by an integrated landscape entrance forecourt.
The proposed project, in additional to providing necessary clinical accommodation, acts as a landmark within the hospital campus defining a new entrance for members of the public visiting for treatment. Its strong form assists in its purpose as a wayfinding device and is clearly visible along the new public approach from the existing Balloonagh Road entrance, reconfiguring how the hospital is accessed away from the historical entrance on Strand Street.
The Z-shaped plan forms a public plaza which acts together with the form of the building to strengthen the sense of entrance for a new visitor to the site. This plaza forms part of an overall landscape and urban design approach to the site which ultimately connects to the Isle of Geese public realm and onwards to Tralee Town centre.
The strong geometric form of the new entrance block, reminiscent of the Slieve Mish Mountains in the distance, is symbolic of the strength and assurance which marks the quality healthcare service to the people of Tralee, its environs and beyond.
LocationKerry
ClientBon Secours Health System
ServiceArchitectural Services
Area1200 sqm
Value€10m
StatusCompleted
PerformanceA rated
