Cork Memorial Medical Centre

Dorrigo’s Cork Memorial Medical Centre is an elegant example of the possible synergy between environmental sustainability and the architectural beauty of timber design. The environmentally friendly components of this remarkable building extend from the use of timber and other natural materials in the design and construction, to its power, heating, and sewage systems.

The need for our building industry to produce eco-friendly projects is more important than ever due to the environmental damage of our mass energy consumption, which is ever increasing through our expanding population. Building with wood is one of the easiest, cost effective, aesthetically pleasing options for builders to reduce their carbon footprint, while pushing the boundaries of modern design and architecture.

One example of this is Dorrigo’s Cork Memorial Medical Centre, one of the first environmental services autonomous medical centres in Australia. Hyne Timber assisted local builder Mark Moxon and Co to bring this unique design of local firm Regional Architects’ to life, with the help of local trades wherever possible. The project was built as a legacy of the late Cyril Cork, who funded the project with the intention of creating an ethical development with far reaching community benefits.

The environmentally friendly components of this remarkable building extend from the use of timber and other natural materials in the design and construction, to its power, heating, and sewage systems. The building’s power source is environmentally sustainable via a Bellingen Solar battery/grid fee hybrid Photo Voltaic (PV) solar system. This system generates up to 20 per cent more power than the building requires, allowing excess energy to be stored and/or sold to the Grid. As well as providing a general power source, it is also used to power the Neighbourhood Heat Pump Hydronic Heating System, which it shares with the attached senior’s housing development. The sewage is a worm farm system, with a stormwater polished and harvested tank water supply, completing the Autonomous Services Package.

The building’s unique design assists the heating system through the immense thermal mass stores created by the use of timber in the construction of the building, which helps regulate the interior’s temperature, reducing the energy needed to power artificial heating and cooling. Other elements such as the use of high value insulation, double glazing, low VOC paints, cross ventilation, natural light, and the living roof all contribute to the comfortable environment of the interior, and provide passive health benefits to all users. (See our article on Benefits of Timber: Health and Wellbeing)

The Cork Memorial Medical Centre is an elegant example of the possible synergy between environmental sustainability and the architectural beauty of timber design.

Pictures: Regional Architects