The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s new building, set to open in late-March, is home to large-scale envirographics that transform corridors and clinical areas into nature-inspired adventures.  

Created by artist Rach Viski, in collaboration with children in the hospital and local community, the envirographics are inspired by the surrounding river landscape to soften the clinical setting and foster a calm, welcoming sense of place throughout the hospital. 

“The inspiration for the envirographics at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead was to bring the outside in. The biophilic design principles throughout the levels encompass the river, so wherever you are, you can be under the river, on the river or above the river.” 

Community co-creation was a defining feature of the project.  

More than 190 drawings from patients, siblings and young people were contributed through workshops held throughout the hospital, and two local schools, Westmead Public School and Bayanami Public School, Parramatta. 

All artworks were carefully embedded into the designs in different ways. 

“Every single drawing – whether it was the texture, the drawing, the markings – were themed and placed in the envirographics. They’ll live here forever.” 

Designed for children of all ages, the scenes reveal playful details of animals and plants at different heights and along different sight lines, encouraging exploration and discovery throughout the building. 

“No matter if you’re a toddler holding onto your parent’s hand, or an adult wandering through the wards, you will find different creatures and storylines,”  

The envirographics project is a central element of the Arts, Play, Discovery (APD) strategy within the Westmead redevelopment. 

The strategy harnesses the power of arts and plays to comfort, distract and uplift patients, while creating more vibrant working environments for staff.