I have spent some time at the new Australian Wildlife Hospital and really appreciate what WD Architects have done to bring traditional earth-building methods and nature into a mainstream healthcare environment. All the little design features like the use of poignant phrases on the glass windows and doors, use of natural lighting, and the choice of earthy colours and textures add a humane philosophical element to what is predominantly meant to be a clinical environment.

I wrote an entire landscape architecture thesis about the benefits of landscape architecture in healthcare settings, and I would say your attempt at combining nature with clinical healthcare is helping to develop a new breed of leadership on the Sunshine Coast for wildlife preservationists, animal welfare and healthcare providers. I hope this kind of architecture that brings the outside-inside gets more of a following in the years to come.

~ Iina Lohi, landscape architect and wildlife carer, 2010 ~

Rammed earth walls by Rammed Earth Constructions

Straw bale walls by Strawtec