On Friday 1 November, a lunchtime presentation by four Fellows was provided to senior decision makers at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services on the topic of ’Sensory Places in Well Designed Spaces’.
The event, which was supported by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, provided a valuable opportunity for four Fellows with allied interests to share valuable insights from their Churchill Fellowships and wider careers with leaders in Victoria’s public health sector.
Victorian Fellows, Stefano Scalzo (2015), Ben Nicholson (2008) and Steven Wells (2015) and Western Australian Fellow, Michelle (Shelly) Dival (2017) drew on their passion, knowledge and experience in building and garden design.
Stefano welcomed the attendees and highlighted the link between good building design and improved health outcomes. Ben stressed the importance of considering green infrastructure maintenance as a fundamental factor during the building design and procurement phases. Steven provided ‘before’ and ‘after’ examples of indoor and outdoor spaces for staff and patients that enhance the amenity of healing environments; and Shelly provided valuable insights into challenges and opportunities for designing children’s hospitals and emergency departments for children and adults on the autism spectrum.
The attendees asked a range of questions and were impressed by the scope and opportunities afforded to the four Fellows via their Churchill Fellowships, which each took them to many points of the globe, including the UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Japan and Singapore.