Royal Children's hospital, sydney
Design Brief:
The aim of this new balcony design was to give much needed respite to sick children and their families. Despite the confronting health challenges, it is really important for parents, sick children and their siblings to have a space and also for the Hospital professionals (ie: play and child life specialists) to have an area to utilise.
The balcony presented a large number of restrictions, including weight, fixings and drainage considerations.
The garden needed to be functional and inspirational. It needed to be accessible for all, and observed from the windows of the isolation units above where sick kids, who have compromised immune systems and can’t leave the ward, can at least look out at a magical space rather than a concrete walkway.
The functionality of the design came from creating a lawn using synthetic grass, and the inspiration came from murals to represent the enchanted forest and toadstools for seating and shade structures.
Oversized pots allowed for mature trees and scented shrubs, and hanging moss from the coloured archways all helped to create a sense of mystery. The Magic Light tree acts as the centre piece and an open gazebo with sky light caters for a hospital bed, so at night time children can look up and see the magical stars and dream a little.
Deciduous trees in oversized pots punctuate the garden and mass planting and seasonal colour draw the eye.
Designer - Steve Warner, OUTHOUSE design
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