The New Footscray Hospital reimagines the definition of a hospital for Melbourne’s diverse western suburbs. Conceived through extensive community advocacy and engagement, the project transforms the traditional hospital model into an open, urban health precinct where care, community and wellbeing coexist.

Rather than a single monolithic building, the project is organised as five interconnected structures surrounding the Village Green — a landscaped civic space that anchors the campus and invites everyday community use. This strategy establishes a new approach to healthcare design, where hospitals act as both places of treatment and social infrastructure to support wellbeing and connection.

A tiered built form mediates between surrounding residential neighbourhoods and major urban corridors, while a sculpted timber-lined “hospital street” creates an internal public realm connecting departments, landscape and light.

Sustainability is embedded through the precinct, contributing to a 5-Star Green Star target and WELL Gold certification.

Through integrated planning, collaboration with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, and a human-centred design process, the New Footscray Hospital realises the ‘healing power of place.’

Photography: Peter Bennetts