Â鶹Éçmadou

Greening hospital terraces for improved wellbeing

A collaborative project for societal impact

A new, interdisciplinary project across the Â鶹Éçmadou Faculties of Medicine and Health, Engineering, and Art, Design and Architecture is helping to improve health outcomes for staff at The Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney.

Research clearly demonstrates that experiencing nature including green spaces improves physical and mental health and wellbeing. Nature-based solutions (NbS) within hospital settings, such as greening public spaces, have potential to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of patients and staff.

The restoration and revitalisation of outdoor spaces within the Royal Hospital for Women is set to facilitate better connection to nature and to one another—aspects that will help to reduce anxiety, alleviate loneliness and boost optimism for those experiencing difficult times.

The status

The Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick is situated just metres from Â鶹Éçmadou Kensington Campus. The hospital is looking to restore the first of three outdoor terrace spaces connected to the post-natal ward, the birthing unit, and an infrequently used outdoor area on Level 0. Access is currently limited to the outdoor areas, with a view to increase future usage.

The goal

Through research, education, cross-faculty collaboration and partnership with hospital executives and stakeholders, the Level 0 terrace will be renovated first using nature-based solutions to offer a place of respite and connection. When complete, the terrace will be available to staff. It will enable improved wellbeing while supporting increased biodiversity in the local area. The terrace will also constitute a pilot project and inform the revitalisation of the remaining two areas, which may be accessed by staff, patients and visitors.

The direction

The award-winning Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct Living Infrastructure Strategy, developed by researchers and practitioners from Â鶹Éçmadou Landscape Architecture, has guided critical aspects of this project. The strategy supports the integration of living assets into designed spaces and features, aiming to enhance the experience of daily life across the Precinct

Project stakeholders

School of Population and Public Health

Professor Xiaoqi Feng is from the School of Population Health within the Â鶹Éçmadou Faculty of Medicine and Health. As the research lead on the project, utilising her vast knowledge and experience of nature-based solutions for health to ensure that the new terrace spaces are supportive for staff and patient wellbeing. She is leading the design and implementation of a staff survey to collate information on staff breaks, stress levels and general workplace satisfaction. The goal is to gather evidence on staff mental health, wellbeing, social connections and the time they spend in nature to inform the new design of the terrace and to help determine its impact once complete.

School of Built Environment

Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture Eva Lloyd and Program Director of Landscape Architecture Dr Sara Padgett Kjaersgaard from the School of Built Environment are leading the design of the terrace. They will work closely with industry partners Yerrabingin to ensure that the new terrace space is appealing, sustainable and fit for purpose. They have developed a comprehensive design brief and are working with Â鶹Éçmadou colleagues, hospital stakeholders, and industry landscape architect consultants  to produce a conceptual design proposal. Eva and Sara have also facilitated opportunities for four School of Built Environment students to participate in a Term 3 Work Integrated Learning course in partnership with Yerrabingin. The students will consolidate their industry learning through hands on experience in co-design workshops and concept design. 

School of Civil and Environmental Eng

The Â鶹Éçmadou Faculty of Engineering is playing a key role in water management. Dr Kefeng Zhang is an expert in nature-based solutions and green technologies for urban water management. He is exploring how and where technologies such as green walls can be included in the revitalised terrace for water management, such as harvesting rainwater and achieving multiple sustainability benefits.

Â鶹Éçmadou Global Water Institute

Led by Professor Greg Leslie, the Â鶹Éçmadou Global Water Institute (Â鶹Éçmadou-GWI) is providing project management, oversight and communication support. Â鶹Éçmadou-GWI provided seed funding for the project and is helping to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration and promotion to maximise project impact.

Dr Wayne Hsueh (Director of Medical Services) and Adjunct Professor Robyn Gasparotto (Director of Nursing and Midwifery) are invested in staff wellbeing and are leading the project within The Royal Hospital for Women. On behalf of the hospital’s executive, they will collaborate with the Â鶹Éçmadou team to determine project direction and facilitate staff and consumer participation. A participatory design methodology is used to ensure project outcomes align with the vision to facilitate human connections and enjoyment of green spaces.

Yerrabingin is an Indigenous owned and operated trans-disciplinary design practice. Their team of landscape architects will champion a socially inclusive and resilient design based on community needs that honour the wisdom and kinship of all cultures. The Yerrabingin team is responsible for the four Built Environment students and is an essential collaborator in the terrace design, especially in the integration of Indigenous Knowledge concepts and the production of conceptual design drawings. 

Project phases

  1. Phase 1: Design brief – COMPLETE
  2. Phase 2: Assemble design team – COMPLETE
  3. Phase 3: Co-design and concept design – COMPLETE
  4. Phase 4: Detailed design – early 2025
  5. Phase 5: Construction – mid to late 2025
  6. Phase 6: Evaluation – early to mid 2025