The newly appointed principal at HASSELL believes that designers have a social responsibility to create sustainable, healthy places for the next generation.
“My key influencers are my children. When you have a family, you realise responsibility sits with you to create better environments, a more sustainable way of building places, and ultimately spaces where my children, and future generations, will thrive growing up,” says HASSELL’s newly appointed principal Natalie Busch.
As practice leader and now appointed principal, Natalie has been an influential part of the HASSELL Perth team for 14 years with experience combining urban design with architecture and landscape architecture to create healthy, sustainable, and exciting public realm spaces.
“When I first started in the industry there was definitely a focus on how things looked, but there’s been a real shift to create places that affect how people feel within a space. There are some scary statistics around the increase in mental health issues, and as designers we have an opportunity to improve the everyday lives of people. It can be on the micro-scale from a house or an office, to the macro and how you design an entire city,” she adds.
“One of the first projects I worked on was the Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, it was my introduction into the health sector design environment. That to me was a game-changer because through our work, we found out there was fundamental evidence that if you create places that allow interaction between people, access to natural light, air, and gardens, patients were happier, healthier, and less reliant on medication. If that can happen in such an acute environment, we should be applying that same thinking to everything that we do. It’s changed how I approach every single project,” says Busch.
Boasting a Bachelor of Architecture with first-class honours, Busch is also a registered landscape architect. She is the 2019 WA President of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and sits on the WA State Design Review Panel. Recently, Busch has been involved in the award-winning Karratha Health Campus project, St Ives Carine residential aged care development in Perth’s northern suburbs, and the University of Western Australia’s new engineering hub, EZONE.
When asked about what projects excite her the most, Natalie says it is the clever in-between spaces. “It excites me to be able to draw something impactful out of a space that wasn’t there in the brief, like a wide stairwell that forces interaction, or benches that face each other to reduce isolation. They seem minor but they can make the biggest difference to student experiences, and ultimately their livelihoods.”
HASSELL principal Brenden Kelly says that Busch’s highly collaborative nature when working with clients and her multi-disciplinary skillset has always allowed her to develop rich relationships and trust.
“Natalie does a fantastic job at encouraging everyone involved in a project to keep the design process as collaborative as possible, this is a trait that HASSELL prides itself on instilling across the entire practice. We’re looking forward to seeing Natalie thrive in this new role,” says Kelly.
We think you’d like this story about Australian healthcare design.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In this brand new exhibition, GH Commercial’s custom carpet solutions help local artists create joyful installations that each tell a unique story.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
As well as considering the materials and processes used to manufacture furniture solutions, companies like Workspace are shifting their focus to the entire lifespan of products.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Beau Fulwood and Alison Peach on returning to a low-tech, first-principles concept of design as a strategy to combat climate change.
Caring for our mental health is paramount these days and architecture and design can lead the way as Hassell shows in its latest project in Queensland.
MECCA’s Customer Support Centre stays put, but Studio Tate’s interior design has added totally new layers of colour and energy to the space.
Designed to drive positive change, promote sustainable practices and cultivate inclusive communities, the recent launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Design will champion the role of urban design in shaping the nation’s identity.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
We spoke to Plus Architecture’s Chrisney Formosa about a string of recent Brisbane projects and what they might tell us about the city’s design evolution.
Lacquered in warm timber tones and complemented by high-quality furniture and fixtures, the new HQ for Salta Properties is a home away from home.