Forensic Medicine Complex

Designed by COX Architecture, the largest coroner’s court and forensic medicine facility in Australia is located at Lidcombe in New South Wales.

It provides services related to unexpected and unexplained deaths in the community.

New South Wales (NSW) Attorney General Mark Speakman said the Forensic Medicine and Coroners Court Complex represented a significant leap forward for coronial investigations in NSW.

“The extensive high-tech facilities will enable more comprehensive and timely investigations of sudden and unexplained deaths – including complex cases and disasters involving mass casualties,” Mr Speakman said.

“With four state-of-the-art courtrooms, the complex will be able to host high-profile inquests on the scale of the Lindt Café siege investigation.”

Secretary of NSW Health Elizabeth Koff said the COX Architecture designed building delivers more sensitive and modern facilities for people dealing with the unexpected loss of relatives and friends.

“When we talk about our coronial services, we sometimes overlook the fact that every case is linked to human tragedy with bereaved families in need of support, care, and answers,” Ms Koff said.

“The building is filled with natural light and features – such as tranquil courtyards and artwork – to create a calm environment for families during a time of great stress.

“Examination and viewing facilities have been designed to provide even greater dignity and respect for the deceased patients and their families. It will also foster seamless collaboration between forensic medicine, coronial staff and police.

“Our teams of highly specialised experts face an incredibly challenging task of finding answers to complex coronial investigations where the cause of death is unknown. They’re looking forward to the new technologies, ways of working and much-needed additional capacity this building will provide,” Ms Koff said.

More than 6,000 deaths are reported to the NSW State Coroner every year, with around half from the Sydney region. This three-storey building was designed by COX Architecture to meet the needs of the State’s growing and diverse population for decades to come.

As well as the additional courtrooms for the NSW Coroners Court, it provides modern and expanded clinical facilities for NSW Health Pathology’s forensic medicine service.

Other features of this COX Architecture designed facility include:

advanced additional clinical equipment to help provide answers about the cause of death in the least invasive manner
private viewing and counselling rooms with dedicated facilities to support large family groups with dignity, including a multi-faith room
advanced teaching suites
multi-purpose rooms with giant high-definition monitors capable of screening inquests for the media and general public if a courtroom is full
audio visual technology to enable witnesses to give evidence from remote locations

This new Lidcombe complex replaces the existing facility at Glebe, home to coronial and forensic medicine services for more than 40 years, and no longer fit for purpose.

The primary motivation for the COX Architecture design was to create an environment that would be sensitive to the experience of families in stressful situations.

The building celebrates nature, and the ideas of growth and life.

The design includes a strong focus on colour psychology – with a particular emphasis on the colour green. That’s because green is typically read as calming and expresses the ideas of renewal, development, and harmony.

This has been incorporated into various parts of the facades including the sculptural perforated shade fins on the west side of the building.

Feature spaces include the entrance atrium, courtroom waiting areas, and viewing spaces that celebrate daylight access, landscape views, and public art installations.

Project Details

Project size – 12,000 m2
Completion date – 2018
Construction cost – $91.5 million

Project Team

Architecture

COX Architecture

COX is a design-focused contemporary architectural practice with studios located in every major Australian city and a history spanning 60 years. Key to their ethos is supporting the public life of our cities. COX does this by ensuring each project makes positive contributions to its public realm – giving more than it takes.

www.coxarchitecture.com.au

Healthcare Architecture

Silver Thomas Hanley

STH, otherwise known as Silver Thomas Hanley, are a recognised national and international architecture health care design practice.

The practice commenced 40 years ago with founding directors Peter and Aija Thomas. Today STH has 100 specialist healthcare design staff and have completed over 2,000 healthcare projects.

There are currently six directors that lead the practice and work collaboratively on each project with Associates and Project Architects.

www.sth.com.au

Photography

Tyrone Branigan

Tyrone works directly with his clients to build a brief that illuminates their design philosophy and establish a clear visual signature. Texture, materials, and aspect are treated with the correct light to create clean crisp images that document more than just a moment in time.

www.www.tyronebranigan.com