Flashback Friday - Barcaldine Hospital

After the Second World War, Charles Fulton, one of the founders of Fulton Trotter Architects, designed a number of notable hospital buildings including Barcaldine Hospital’s main block and staff quarters in 1953.

The hospital was a pioneer in the field of low energy design in outback Queensland. During the course of this project, the hospital was heritage listed by the Queensland Government in recognition of its innovation in the area of low energy design. The original hospital was built along a single corridor in the format of ‘Nightingale’ wards. Long verandas provided shade and the opportunity to cross ventilate the ward areas. This permitted effective climate control in a harsh environment in the days before air-conditioning.

In 1998 Fulton Trotter Architects were involved in the extension and refurbishment of the existing hospital. The architectural language of the original building has been re-interpreted and revised in new materials within the new structures. The roof shapes and proportions respond to and respect the existing structures that have generally been reused for appropriate functions. The use of the courtyards between the new and old wings allows the penetration of natural light and sunlight into the new ward areas.

A new emergency department and operating theatre has allowed the provision of a separate entry for emergency admissions, under a well-signposted canopy.