The Challenge:
St.John of God Richmond Hospital's redevelopment in New South Wales, Australia, represents a significant advancement in mental healthcare facilities. Central to this visionary project is the new Wellness Centre, featuring a gym, yoga studio, and large indoor pool designed to support holistic recovery.
The client's mission was clear: create a calm, therapeutic, and restorative environment for patients. However, the indoor pool area presented significant acoustic obstacles. The abundance of hard, reflective surfaces such as water, tile, and glass created a harsh acoustic environment with excessive sound reverberation. This noisy atmosphere directly undermined the goal of creating a tranquil, healing space, potentially causing stress and anxiety for sensitive patients undergoing treatment.
- Address excessive reverberation.
- Create a calm, therapeutic and restorative environment.
- High aesthetic standard required.
The Solution:
Working with Studio STH, Asona recommended the Triton Pool Panels—specifically engineered for high-humidity aquatic environments. These panels deliver an impressive NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) of 1.0, providing maximum sound absorption while featuring durable, waterrepellent coating and custom shapes to integrate seamlessly with architectural elements.
The outcome has been remarkable, creating a genuinely restorative space that supports the hospital's patientcentered mission. "We were so pleased that the Triton Pool Panels remained in the specification and were installed. We really fought to have these included in the design and believe that the aesthetics of the Triton Pool Panels really brought the wellness Centre to life and followed our design intent. " — Kate Wong, Head Architect at Studio STH.
The project has received significant international recognition, earning Highly Commended at the 2025 European Healthcare Design Awards and shortlisting for the 2025 INDE Awards.
- Crisp, frameless look with wrapped edges.
- High light reflectance.
- Concealed aluminium frames for strength.
- Dimensionally stable in high humidity.
- Water repellent surface.
